What Binds us Together
by Tier K
Summary: Legend has it that one can never cause harm to one's soul-mate. Sheik never gave the legend a second thought until their blade bounces harmlessly off of their target's skin. With the assassination a failure, Sheik is captured, and their fate firmly bound to that of the royal twins of Hyrule; the brilliant Princess Zelda, and the one person Sheik needs to kill, Prince Link.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hi! This story does not follow any cannon, and is written entirely for my entertainment. It's inspired loosely by the prompt "You live in a world where your soul-mate is unable to hurt you, intentionally or otherwise. You are fighting a war, when one of the enemy's knives harmlessly glances off you."

Pairing is Sheik/Link, but the story ended up not being romance heavy at all.

In this story, Sheik is gender non-binary. I use the pronouns they/them as is most popular for non-binary folks. I respect that not everyone agrees with this portrayal of Sheik, but ask that there is no hate. Or at least that it is done constructively. :)

Feedback on story content, grammatical mistakes, and formatting is always welcome! I'm really struggling with the site's text editing options so any advice on how to make this more legible and pleasant to read is appreciated.

Enjoy!

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Sheik lowered themself slowly off of the roof and onto the narrow window ledge outside of the prince's room. Peering cautiously inside, they could make out the outline of the man within, lying beneath a pile of blankets which rose and fell with each steady breath. Sheik pulled off one glove with their teeth and drew their dagger. Ever so slowly, Sheik worked the tip of the knife through the narrow space between the window panes and pried open the latch. It made a heavy click as it opened, and Sheik froze, pressing as close to the wall as possible. Inside, the prince didn't so much as twitch. After an agonizing minute, Sheik tugged their glove back on and eased the window open just enough to slip inside.

With the stealth of a cat, Sheik crept across the room. It was to be a quick job. Slit his throat and leave the way they'd come. Nothing but a corpse left behind. Sheik positioned themself to the prince's back as he lay on his side, snoring softly, and took a breath. No need to rush. With a smooth motion, Sheik drew the blade across the prince's throat, and went to wipe off the blade- only to find it was perfectly clean. Confused, Sheik leaned over to look at the prince's neck. No blood, no cut, not a single mark. Alarm bells immediately went off in Sheik's head. The prince's breathing shifted, and his stunning blue eyes opened. Unsure what else to do, Sheik slammed their dagger into the prince's back- only to feel it deflected as if by an invisible shield, again leaving no trace. Before Sheik could decide whether to run or make a third attempt, the prince rolled out of bed and elbowed Sheik in the gut, knocking them onto their back, yet causing no pain. The door was thrown open and two guards rushed in brandishing spears. Sheik rolled to their feet and ran for the window, but a sharp blow from a spear sent them sprawling again. Before they knew it, they were chained up in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link paced the floor of his room, frowning in concentration. There had just been an attempt on his life. One that should have been successful. He'd _felt _the cold of steel against his throat in his sleep, _felt _the dagger impact his back, and yet here he was, completely unharmed. He touched his neck, searching for the tenth time for some sign of injury and finding none. His nerves were shaken, but otherwise, he was completely unharmed. It made no sense. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he called, hastily arranging himself at his desk to look as though he'd been reading one of the thick documents piled up there.

His sister, Princess Zelda entered, worry marring her otherwise perfect features. "I heard someone tried to kill you," she said nonchalantly, though the look on her face gave away her concern.

"Someone did," Link agreed, "and would have, if not for some strange and magical phenomenon."

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"He cut me, and yet his blade didn't hurt me." Link showed her his neck. "It bounced off as though I'd been wearing armor."

Zelda's expression morphed first into one of confusion, then to epiphany, and then into horror.

"What?" Link asked.

"The blade bounced off of your skin, you say, and you were wearing no armor? It definitely hit your skin?"

"Yes," Link said, "By rights I should be dead."

"I think…" began Zelda with a deep frown, "I think I know what has happened." She took a seat on his bed and steepled her fingers in the way she did when thinking. "I read once that there was a phenomenon, a gift from the goddesses, it was said, that one's true love could never hurt one. Of course, few people ever find their true love, and even fewer ever attempt to cause them harm, and so it isn't certain that this legend is true. But if it were, perhaps that would explain your seemingly magical survival."

"Are you saying that the assassin is my "true love"?" Link asked, making air quotes with his fingers.

Zelda nodded solemnly.

"You've got to be kidding me." He sat down heavily next to Zelda on the bed. "What am I supposed to do? How do we know if that's true? I don't even know that person!" He pressed his palm against his forehead. "This is crazy."

Zelda shrugged. "Well, I haven't got a better explanation for why you survived. Perhaps we ought to go and find the assassin and get to know him a bit. He could be your soul-mate! How wonderful that would be? It would be like a good romance novel!" Zelda singsonged, clasping her hands together.

Link stared at Zelda. "Are you mad? He tried to kill me!"

"Well I doubt he knew that you were his soul-mate either. Imagine his surprise when his carefully sharpened blade wouldn't leave so much as a mark!" Zelda grinned in delight, obviously weaving some crazy story in her mind.

"Well he's going to be executed at noon," said Link, "So it doesn't matter anyways."

Zelda sprung to her feet. "Noon? That's in an hour! We haven't much time! We've got to see this assassin!"

"No way." Link waved his hand dismissively. "He's a criminal, and he will be punished according to law. We're not going to go visit him."

"He could be your one true love! Doesn't that mean anything to you, Link? Are you willing to pass up that chance without even trying?"

Link shrugged. "I don't even know him, and he tried to kill me. And he's a guy."

"Even so," Zelda insisted. "We have to know if he's the one!"

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link had a difficult time saying no to his twin, and it wasn't long before he found himself in the dungeons, surrounded by guards, being led to the assassin's cell. The guards left them at the cell at Zelda's request, telling the royal twins to shout if they were needed.

Peering through the bars into the darkest corner of the narrow cell, Link could see a figure slumped against the wall.

"Hey," Zelda called, "Come here."

The assassin lifted his head, brushing long, blonde hair out of his face. Slowly, he stood. It was clear that the movement caused him pain as he limped the few feet to the bars. Zelda's eyes widened as she took in the bruised and bloodied face of the assassin, and the angry wounds covering the visible parts of his skin. He was clothed in an oversized grey tunic that looked more like a sack than anything else. The assassin gripped the bars to steady himself and looked up at the twins.

"Uh, hi," Zelda said, her confidence seemingly lost. She licked her lips. "We um, had some questions for you."

The assassin said nothing, just watched her with impassive red eyes.

Link found himself fixated on those eyes. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before. The color was unnatural, it was the color of blood, of a monster, and yet he found himself strangely enraptured by them.

"So, what's your name?" Zelda asked.

"...Sheik," Sheik said, after a moment of silence.

"I'm Princess Zelda," Zelda said, "and this is Prince Link. Though I suppose you already knew that since you tried to kill him and all…" Zelda trailed off, realizing she was rambling.

"Why did you try to kill me?" Link asked, picking up where Zelda had left off.

Those eyes shifted their focus to him, and he resisted the urge to look away from their intensity. "To end your line of descendants and the chain of betrayal and death." Sheik hissed.

"What do you mean?" Link asked, taking a half-step closer to the bars.

"Your ancestors betrayed mine. We fought for you, and you left us to die. And you... For hundreds of years we've been-" Sheik cut himself off, his voice lowering to a whisper "I'm going to break the cycle. I and those who come after me will not be bound by this cursed fate."

For a moment, the three stood in silence. "What are you talking about?" Zelda asked, anger lacing her voice. "You accuse us of crimes I've never heard of!"

Before any more could be said, the stamp of soldiers' heavy boots became audible, and six soldiers came down the corridor. Zelda and Link stepped back as the guards opened the cell and dragged Sheik out. The entourage turned, nodded to the twins, and marched off again, dragging Sheik between them.


	2. Chapter 2

"We have to save him," Link said as they strode through the hallways back to Link's room.

Zelda glanced at him. "Why? He's clearly insane. If a he it is at all. I'm rather of the opinion that was a woman."

Link stopped. "A female assassin?" Then he shook his head. "That isn't important right now. Sheik is about to be executed at the town square, and we need to stop them."

"Why?" Zelda asked again. "Are you in love with her now that you know that she isn't a guy?" Her tone was teasing, but her eyes told Link she was not sold on helping Sheik.

"No!" Link snapped. "I'm curious. He- She, clearly knows something we don't. Or thinks she does at least. And if it is true that our family has somehow wronged Sheik's people? Executing Sheik would only make things worse. Besides, no harm has been done. I don't think Sheik deserves to die."

Zelda crossed her arms, frowning. "Father won't call off the execution. I've never seen him sentence someone to death so quickly as he did Sheik. His mind is clearly decided."

"We have to try!" Link said, turning and running back the way they had come without waiting for Zelda to respond.  
~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link burst into the throne room with Zelda close behind him. The king half rose from his throne and the guards almost intercepted them before they realized who it was.

"Father! Please stop this execution." Link called, stopping before the throne and gasping for breath.

"I cannot," the king said, settling back into his throne. "You might have been killed, and such a thing cannot go unpunished."

"But I wasn't." Link said. "The blade didn't hurt me. Sheik _couldn't _hurt me! There's no harm done, so perhaps death is too harsh a punishment."

"My son," rumbled the king, "If every failed assassin was let free because they had not managed to kill their target then we would have a kingdom of criminals. It does not matter that this assassin failed, it matters that he tried."

"Yes," Zelda agreed, "but we spoke with this assassin and learned that there is more to the story than just minor unrest or delusional beliefs. Sheik says that our family has betrayed her people, and that they were bound in servitude to us for hundreds of years. Is this true?"

The king's heavy eyebrows came together in anger and he leaned forwards in his throne. "We did not betray the Sheikah! We did what was necessary to save our people."

"So there is more to the story." Link stated. "Father, call off this execution. I would not have this person killed until we know the full story."

"The full story is this," the king said, glaring at his son, "The Sheikah swore fealty to the royal family. They were our personal guards. We made the mistake of trusting such monsters, and we paid the price in blood. The Sheikah murdered the Goddess's Hero and fled during the pivotal battle at Kakariko Village. Our armies could not stand against the hordes of monsters from across the mountains. Our stronghold was overrun, the monsters burned Kakariko Village to the ground, and continued into the rest of Hyrule, killing thousands. The cowardly Sheikah escaped into the mountains and we never saw them again. They are traitors and murderers and deserve to die." The king breathed out heavily, fists clenched. "I will not call off the execution, and I forbid you from interfering!" His powerful glare washed over his two children, brooking no disagreement.

Link and Zelda glanced at each other. "Yes, father," they chorused, and hurried from the room.

"Father wasn't telling the whole truth," Zelda whispered grimly as the two once again walked the halls. "I read in an old history book once that the Sheikah were loyal and reliable, that the Goddess's Hero had a Sheikah guardian in every generation for as long as time. Even the last Hero had one, and that was only about 100 years ago, long after the war. Additionally, one of the Sages is a Sheikah. Why would the Goddesses choose a monsterous species to be one of their Sages? And why would the Sheikah let the monsters burn their own village? This doesn't feel right. Something doesn't add up."

"I agree. Father seemed too angry about the whole situation. He's hiding something from us."

They walked in silence for a moment.

"So we're going to go and rescue Sheik then, right?" Link asked.

Zelda nodded. "We have to find out what really happened."

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Outside at the execution grounds, a crowd had already gathered. Link and Zelda stood at the edge of the mass of bodies, trying to find a way to get closer.

"This is ridiculous," Zelda complained. "Even if we can get close, how are we going to stop them from pulling the lever?"

Link grunted and elbowed his way deeper into the crowd, pulling Zelda along with him. With their faces hidden beneath nondescript hooded cloaks, no one payed them any mind. "I guess we cut him free and run?"

"That's an awful plan. We'll be killed by the guards before the realize who we are."

"Then we reveal ourselves and order them to release Sheik."

"Father specifically forbade us from doing that," Zelda reminded her brother.

"Right," Link said. He frowned in thought and pushed closer to the front of the crowd. They could see Sheik now, standing on the platform, noose around their neck while the executioner read the accusations and the priest stood by to offer redemption in the eyes of the Goddess before death.

"You distract the guards, and I'll cut him free," suggested Link.

"But then you'll be-" Zelda didn't have a chance to finish as they abruptly cleared the sea of people, coming to stand right in front of a guard. He stared disinterestedly out across the mass of bodies.

Link grinned encouragingly at Zelda, and she rolled her eyes, mouthing "idiot" at him. But, she threw back her hood and screamed, shoving through the crowd.

"Help! Guards, help!" She wailed.

Instantly there was chaos. Guards rushed forwards to help their princess while the crowd turned and shifted trying to see what was happening. Zelda meanwhile, ducked and ran, still screaming.

Link seized his moment to climb onto the platform, but he wasn't fast enough. Sheik had already leapt on top of the gallows and was sawing themself free with what looked like a hair pin. It was an awkward process, with their hands bound and the rope wrapped part-way around their body, but somehow, Sheik managed. By the time Link had drawn his own dagger, Sheik had severed the rope from the wooden beam.

The guards had begun to notice the commotion at the gallows, and Zelda had fallen silent. They rushed back towards Sheik and Link. Sheik gave Link an irritated look, then threw themself off of the gallows and into the crowd.

"Wait!" Link shouted, and quickly followed, hastily shoving the dagger back into its sheath to avoid stabbing anyone accidentally. Sheik was fast, but with their hands bound and trailing a tail of rope from the noose still around their neck, Link was faster. He quickly caught up to the Sheikah.

"This way!" he shouted, leading Sheik out of the crowd and into a narrow alleyway filled with crates.

Behind them, the guards shouted and tried to make their way through the crowd, slowed by their heavy weapons and armor.

Link lead the way down alley after alley, weaving through vendor carts and market stalls until Sheik was very sure that no one would have been able to follow them. Finally, Link ducked beneath a hedgerow and into someone's back yard, where he stopped to catch his breath.

"We should be safe here," Link panted, bracing his hands on his knees.

Sheik planted their foot in Link's back sending him sprawling on the ground. Then dropped down on top of him, digging their knee into his back.

"What the hell?!" Link yelped.

"I'm going to kill you," Sheik hissed.

"How?!" Link demanded, feeling more offended than hurt by the knee in his back. "Your hands are tied!"

Sheik made a frustrated sound in the back of their throat, and then wrapped one leg around Link's neck in a choke hold.

Link struggled to throw Sheik off, only managing to flip them both over so that Sheik was trapped between Link's back and the ground.

Sheik's grip tightened, but Link found that no amount of pressure actually cut off his air supply.

Finally, Sheik relented, growling in frustration. They released Link and squirmed out from under him, then rolled to their feet.

"You can't hurt him," Zelda said, crawling out from under the hedgerow. She was breathing hard and looked decidedly hassled. "No matter what you do, you won't be able to harm Link."

Sheik glared, but said nothing.

"Zelda! I knew you'd find us," Link gave her a quick hug, gave her a once-over for injuries, then turned back to face Sheik with a scowl. "So we saved him. What do we do now?"

"You caused the distraction?" Sheik asked, gaze changing from murderous to thankful as Zelda walked over to cut the rope off of their wrists and neck.

"Yes," Zelda said. "It was idiot Link's plan."

Sheik frowned, then bowed their head. "Thank you," they said.

Zelda smiled. "You're welcome."

Outside of their little safe-have, the heavy tramp of guards' boots went by. The three looked warily at the hedgerow separating them from capture.

"We should hide," Link suggested.

Sheik nodded. They very much liked this plan. Sheik was not ready to be killed today.

The twins led Sheik out of the little yard and further into the slums of the city. Sheik was surprised that the royal twins knew their way around this part of town. This was the part that Sheik was familiar with. Where they'd spent weeks avoiding everyone and preparing to infiltrate the castle.

"I know my way around here," Sheik said. "You two should return to your castle. I thank you for your assistance." Sheik nodded to Zelda, and gave Link a strange look.

"No way," Link said. "We didn't save you because we like you, we saved you because you know things that we want to know."

Sheik stopped walking. The royal twins of Hyrule wanted information? From Sheik? There was no way this was going to end well. Sheik thought back to the night when they'd left their mountain home. Aunt Impa had warned Sheik not to leave, that nothing good would come of trying to kill the prince. Sheik had argued that nothing would come of their life if they couldn't kill the prince. And then they had left. Now, Sheik wished that they had stayed home, in the safety of the mountains, where people didn't try and attack Sheik just because of their race, where people died like they were supposed to, and where Sheik could have taken a hot bath and gone to bed instead of sneaking through alleys, bruised and bloody, just to be interrogated by the royal twins themselves.

"What do you want to know?" Sheik finally asked.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

It was agonizing letting Zelda treat their numerous wounds. But she had insisted, and Sheik was unable to persuade her to hand over the first-aid supplies. As she meticulously cleaned the wounds along their arms and back, Sheik eyed the bottle of red potion sitting next to her, wishing she'd hurry so that they could drink the potion and be done with it. But she had scolded them and told them to wait. If they drank the potion while any of their wounds were dirty, the skin would heal over, but the wounds could still get infected.

Link sat a little ways away, cooking some meat and vegetables on the small, wood stove that was the only appliance in Sheik's tiny shed.

They'd gone to the place where Sheik had been dwelling these past few weeks, aiming to hide there until things calmed down. Zelda had sent a letter via raven to her father to let him know they were safe. She hadn't mentioned that they were with Sheik or where they were. Sheik didn't think the letter would actually reassure the King, but they'd said nothing about it.

"Here," Zelda said, offering Sheik the bottle of red potion. "Now you can drink it."

Nodding their thanks, Sheik chugged the potion, relief washing over them immediately as ribs clicked back into place and cuts and bruises healed over, leaving Sheik's skin without even scars. With a quiet sigh, Sheik set down the bottle, pulled their nondescript travel tunic down, and settled their cowl in place, hiding the bottom half of their face. Once dressed properly, they felt much more at ease.

"So," Zelda began as Sheik sat back down across from her and Link came over with food. "Tell us everything you know about the history between our peoples."

It didn't take long for the three to break into argument. Zelda is certain that the Sheikah were the first to abandon the great battle for Kakariko Village and it was them who were at fault for the hundreds of Hylian lives lost.

Sheik insisted that it was in fact the Hylians that had betrayed them, plotting to kill the Sheikah in addition to the horde of monsters attacking them.

"Your kind betrayed my people! They had a new fire weapon, a bomb that would have destroyed both my people and the army they were fighting. You would have sacrificed your own allies in order to gain your victory!" Sheik all but shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Zelda snapped, crossing her arms. "I've never heard of such a bomb and your people were the cowards who ran away and abandoned us to the monsters!"

"Never heard of it?" Sheik's red eyes flashed dangerously. "We disarmed your weapon of fire and death. Perhaps that is why it was not recorded. Because not only was it a failure, but it was a stain upon your honor."

"You lie!"

"You refuse to see the truth!" Sheik leapt to their feet and Link jumped between them and Zelda, hands outstretched placatingly.

"Calm down!" Link commanded. "This argument is getting us nowhere. Sheik, just tell us what you think happened and why you are trying to kill me, and Zelda, be quiet and listen."

Sheik glared, but sat back down. Zelda huffed, but said no more.

"Very well," Sheik began again. "During the great war, we Sheikah fought side by side with your people. We were protectors of the royal family. Guardians, some called us. We lived in Kakariko then, neighbors to the Hylians. So when the monsters came, we were, of course, the first to respond. The first Sheikah army in history was mustered, and we marched out to meet the enemy. The Hylians promised to send aid, and they did. Though not nearly enough. They sent a small segment of the army. Only a few hundred strong. The Hylians holed up within the fortress and prepared to defend the town while the Sheikah fought in the field. The only Hylian to risk his life with us was the Goddess's Hero himself.

"We were outnumbered, and being forced back. We sent a messenger to ask that the Hylian segment be deployed to the battle. But no soldiers did they send. Instead, one of our messengers returned with disturbing news. The Hylians had brought with them a new weapon. A weapon that would set the whole army aflame. The enemy's, and ours. Horrified and betrayed, the Sheikah army gathered what remained of its forces and fled the battlefield by secret and treacherous mountain ways. The Hero went with them, refusing to leave his Sheikah guardian." Here Sheik's tone grew spiteful. "Your people say the Sheikah murdered him, and used that as a reason to shun and kill them. But in truth, he chose to come. It is his fault that my people are as hated as they are today," Sheik spat.

"The history books don't tell it anything like that," Zelda mused. She looked skeptical of Sheik's story, but not totally disbelieving.

"Your history is told through the eyes of the ruling class of Hyrule. It is what they want you to believe, not the truth," Sheik said.

"Be that as it may and so may it be as it may be," Link interrupted, "But that doesn't explain why you're trying to kill _me._ And haven't the Goddess's Heroes since then all had Sheikah guides? My father was the first generation not to have a Sheikah guardian in the castle."

"It is true that there have been Sheikah with many of the incarnations of the Hero. It also happens that it was always a Sheikah with a certain name, Sheik, and whose fate has always been one of pain. That, Prince, is the reason I wish to kill you."

"...I… Don't get it," Link admitted after a moment of thought.

"Neither do I," Zelda agreed. "I get what you're saying about the cycle of rebirth, but how does that relate to Link? Yes, he bears the same name as the Hero, many people in Hyrule do, but it's just a name. Not THE name. Even if you are THE Sheik, you have no grounds for murdering Link. That's not even addressing the fact that it isn't a curse of fate but a choice that each generation makes that has things turn out the way they do for the Sheikah guardian."

"You're wrong," Sheik said. "This Link is THE Link, as you so eloquently put it, and I am the unfortunate bearer of the name and title Sheik. My fate is bound to him for as long as he is alive. Thus, if I kill him, I will be free of this cursed fate." Sheik got to their feet and reached for their knife.

Link got to his feet as well. "You're full of bullshit," he snapped. I don't even know you, and I sure as hell am not letting some delusional kid murder me!"

"Wait, guys!" Zelda tried to intercede, but the two leapt towards each other yelling insults and profanity.

Sheik swiped at Link's chest with his knife. Link dodged and tried to punch Sheik, who grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. Recovering quickly, Link rolled to his feet and drew his own knife, slashing at Sheik's face. The Sheikah blocked and tried to kick Link, who grabbed their leg and threw them into the wall.

"Oof," Sheik gasped as the air left their lungs. Link gave him no time to recover, leaping at him and pinning him with a knee to his solar plexus, preventing his smaller opponent from sitting up.

"I should kill you right now," Link hissed, pressing his knife to Sheik's throat.

Sheik just glared, still recovering their breath.

"Link, you know you can't hurt her," Zelda said.

"How do you know?!" Link yelled. "He can't hurt me because he loves me, but I hate his guts so why shouldn't I be able to hurt him!?"

Sheik's eyes widened. No way. There was no way. But if that were indeed the reason why Sheik's blade did Link no harm… Sheik wanted to puke. They dropped their head onto the wooden floorboards with a heavy _thunk._

"Kill me now," Sheik wheezed.

Link hesitated. What if he actually couldn't harm the sheikah? What if he tried and his blade bounced harmlessly off? "Nah," Link decided, climbing off of Sheik, "Saving you would have been a wasted effort then."

Sheik huffed, and sat up. They said no more to the twins that night. Instead, Sheik walked over to the corner where their bedroll was laid out, and lay down facing the wall.

Sheik could not sleep. Memories of stories they'd heard as a child of people who had found their true love and lived happily ever after filled their head. Sheik had always thought they were nothing but a fairy tale made up to ease the aching hearts of those who had not found the one yet. But if they were true, then Sheik was doomed. That would mean that Sheik could not kill the bastard that was the source of their misfortune. That meant that Sheik could not escape the curse at all. They would be stuck to fall in love with Link and eventually get their heart broken and die alone far away from home. Sheik growled under their breath. They would not let that happen. They would not fall in love with that hot-tempered, privileged, ignorant fool of a prince. Sheik was going to decide their own fate. Destiny be damned.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sheik! Sheik!" Zelda shook the sleeping Sheikah's shoulders. "Wake up!"

Sheik blinked blearily and sat up. "What?" they asked, rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

"Link is gone."

"Good riddance," said Sheik.

Zelda waved her hands in frustration. "We have to find him. I think something terrible has happened. He would never leave without me."

"Not my problem. Hopefully someone else kills him so I don't have to."

"Sheik!" Zelda pleaded. "Please."

"No," Sheik said.

Zelda's eyes turned from pleading to cold, like a heavy storm rolling in over light sunshowers. "Help me find him, or I shall report your whereabouts to the guards. I know every alley and passage, you will not escape this city before they find you."

Her threat hung between them for a moment before Sheik sighed. "Very well. I will find him. In return, you keep your pretty lips sealed. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Zelda said, smiling.

Without another word, Sheik packed their belongings and strapped on their weapons and gear. They would not be returning to this place.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link groaned as light pierced his eyes. His head throbbed and his stomach ached with hunger. Slowly, he dragged himself into a sitting position, wondering where he was, why he felt so awful, and where his shirt had gone.

Surrounding him were wooden walls. They closed him in on all sides, no more than four feet away in any direction. He was trapped. Inside a box. Link blinked and tried to remember how he'd gotten here. Bleary memories swam to the surface. He'd stormed out of Sheik's shack last night, sick of the violent Sheikah and his murder attempts. He'd been wandering vaguely in the direction of the castle when someone had stepped out of an alley before him. The someone had struck up a conversation with him, something about a job, and it being unsafe for a Prince such as himself to be out this late alone. That's when the alarm bells had started going off in Link's head. But too late, as a second person had already snuck up behind him and clamped a cloth over his mouth and nose. Next thing Link knew, he was waking up here.

As understanding of the situation dawned, Link's spirits sunk. He'd been kidnapped. He hoped his sister was safe.

"You better have kept her safe, jerk," Link whispered, glaring at the blond Sheikah in his mind's eye.

Outside, Link could hear the pounding of horse hooves. Many of them. He could also hear the clink of weapons and armor, and of the chains and lock on the outside of his wooden prison. There was nothing he could do but wait for someone to rescue him. Of course, that wasn't an option, and so Link set himself to learning the patterns of the people who held him captive and waiting for a chance to escape.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

It didn't take Sheik long to realize that Link had been kidnapped. Tracking Link's path through the town had been easy as Zelda knew exactly what path he would have taken back towards the castle. Soon after that, Sheik had noticed signs of a struggle. A smashed pot, disturbed flower arrangements, a scrap of cloth laying in the muddy road.

"He's been kidnapped," Sheik noted, inspecting the cloth and then waving it in front of their nose.

Zelda thought this was ill advised as the cloth probably had some sort of drug on it, but she said nothing except "Find him."

Sheik gave her a look that said "I'm not your dog," but did as they were asked.

It wasn't easy, but Sheik managed to track the movements of the kidnappers through the town. It was really only possible because of the cart they had dragged with them. Their trail led to the edge of the town, and out into the field through a small portcullis that had been forcefully removed from the wall.

"They've left town," Sheik said, sliding through the hole in the wall, careful to avoid the vision of the guards stationed above. Zelda followed him with only slightly less grace. "They have horses. They'll be moving fairly swiftly. If we want to catch them, we need mounts, and quickly."

"I can handle that," Zelda said. "Meet me by the south gate in ten minutes."

"Princess, you may have forgotten, but I'm a wanted criminal. I can't go near the gates."  
"Figure it out," she said, and ran off back into the town.

"Royalty," Sheik sighed. With reluctance, but seeing no other choice, Sheik turned and slipped back into the town, weaving their way through the backstreets of Castle Town towards the South Gate.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Crossing town took far longer than Sheik would have liked. The number of guards had doubled, and Sheik's face was plastered on wanted posters all across town. Thankfully, the image was of Sheik in prison clothes with their face uncovered. While the general populace seeing their face made Sheik incredibly uncomfortable and directly contradicted tradition, it made Sheik in their travel clothes and cowl seem like an entirely different person. Nevertheless, Sheik spared no precaution as they crossed town. Finally, Sheik reached the South Gate. They were sure it was past the ten minute deadline, and their suspicions were confirmed when they spied Zelda waiting by two majestic horses with an annoyed look on her hooded face.

"Sorry I'm late," Sheik said.

Zelda jumped and stifled a scream. "Sheik!" she gasped. "When did you- Nevermind. Get on, we'll have to move fast. A friend of mine is waiting to open the gates for us. He'll keep quiet about who we are, and the guard whose supposed to be working with him is off tending to a "royal summons" but he'll realize it's a farce soon and come running back. Probably with reinforcements." Zelda giggled. "I'm actually pretty excited. This is fun!"

Sheik gave her a look that said she was crazy. "Princess, it's a great plan, but you realize they will think that I have kidnapped you, right?"

"I'll be sure to send my father another letter soon to let him know I'm fine. As for you, you'll be sentenced to death if you're caught regardless. It makes no difference." She waved her hand dismissively.

Sheik was furious to admit that she was right. Death was certain if they were caught, regardless of their crimes. "Okay," Sheik agreed. "Let's go."

The pair swung into the horses' saddles, and Zelda counted down on her fingers from three. On "one" she spurred her horse forwards, Sheik trailing a second behind. The two steeds galloped towards the massive wooden gates. Sheik was certain they would remain closed and the horses and riders would become bloody smears on the barrier, but at the last moment, the massive doors swung outwards, and the two horses dashed through, hooves clattering on the drawbridge beyond.

Zelda laughed in delight as they sped across the field, shouts of "HALT!" chasing after them.

The wall guards were not prepared to give chase, and it was many minutes before they were able to deploy anyone to follow them. By that time, Sheik and Zelda had already gotten a significant lead. The two did not stop until the sun was well past its zenith and tingeing the sky all shades of red and orange and pink.

Zelda threw herself from the saddle and laughed out loud. "That was the most fun I've had in years!" she said, throwing her hands wide and grinning.

Sheik watched her with a reserved expression. It did not seem fun at all to them. Running from certain death to save a prince whom Sheik wished would just die was not part of Sheik's life plan. They unscrewed the cap on their canteen and took a deep drink while the horses dipped their noses into the small stream nearby to do the same.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

"Princess," Sheik said, beginning to set up camp in the small copse of trees they'd found, "have you ever actually been camping before?"

Zelda turned from where she was grooming the horses. "I've slept on the road before," she said, "but always in a covered wagon or tent. Do we have a tent?"

"We do, but probably not like you're used to," Sheik said. "It's mine, so it's only made for one person, and it is by no means luxurious." the Sheikah finished building the fire structure and leaned close to it, whispering a word of power. The small bundle of tinder in the center caught fire, and the rest of the structure was quick to follow.

Sitting back, Sheik watched the flames grow with an intent gaze.

Zelda packed away the brushes and ambled over to the fire, sitting across from Sheik and warming her hands. For a while, they sat in silence. Then Zelda spoke.

"You know," she said, "You really should give up on killing Link."

Sheik shifted their gaze to Zelda, but said nothing.

"You know why you can't hurt him, right?" she persisted. "It's because you two are soul-mates."

"Soul-mates?" Sheik snorted. "Soul-bonded, sure, but it's not so romantic and pleasant as soul-mates."

Zelda frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're right, I cannot harm Link. It seems likely that it is due to some ancient magics that bind us together. I've heard the legends too. Soul-mates meeting and falling in love, never being able to cause the other physical harm, living happily ever after and so on. But reality isn't like that. Reality is cruel, and cares not for love or any such nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. Love is a beautiful, marvelous thing!"

"Only when it works out."

"Well how do you know it won't work out?" Zelda asked. "Link could be your one true love! You two could be happy together."

Sheik shook their head. "There's no way that would happen. It never has, and never will." They returned their gaze to the fire.

"But you've never tried," Zelda said softly.

"Not me personally, no, but those before me. Those before us." Sheik poked at the flaming logs. "Generations and generations of Hero and Guide have tried, and all have ended in death and sorrow." They tossed their stick into the fire, watching it ignite.

"All of them?"

Sheik nodded, raising their eyes to meet hers. "Yes, princess. All of them."

Zelda considered this for a while, thinking of all the books she'd read. Very few had mentioned the Hero falling in love. And when they did, it was always in passing that the Hero had married the princess or some peasant woman or other. The books had never gone into detail, nor had it ever seemed important.

After a few more moments of thoughtful silence, Sheik said "Princess, have you heard of the Hero of Time?"

Blue eyes refocused on the half-hidden face across the fire. "Yes, of course," she said.

"That Hero, he had a very famous Sheikah guide. That guide's name was Sheik as well."

Zelda nodded.

"Sheik and the Hero were also soul-bonded. Our legends say that Sheik knew this, but the Hero did not. Sheik knew that once the evil King Ganondorf was defeated and Hyrule freed from its nightmare, the Princess would send the young Hero back to his childhood so that he might have a chance to relive the seven years the Goddesses stole from him. Knowing this, Sheik avoided direct contact with the Hero as much as possible, only revealing themself to him when strictly necessary. Sheik did everything possible to avoid creating a bond with the Hero, and even so, the two fell in love. It was their fate as soul-bonded. A fate they could not escape.

"When the time came to fight Ganondorf, Sheik switched places with the Princess, pretending to have been her all along. They did this in order to spare the Hero the heartbreak of leaving Sheik behind in this time, and prevent him from trying to stay, for they knew that it was critical that the Hero return to his childhood time.

"After Ganondorf was defeated and the Hero was returned to his childhood, Sheik was left alone in the Hyrule that they had saved, with nothing but memories of his Hero. Sheik spent the rest of their life searching for a way to return to their Hero's side, but to no avail. The Ocarina of Time was the only way, and its magic was sealed and could not be used by any but a bearer of a piece of the Triforce. Thus, Sheik spent the rest of their life heartbroken, alone, and was slowly forgotten by the world." Sheik finished their tale and gazed pensively into the fire. "I will not let the same fate befall me. I will break the cycle, and spare myself and my future incarnations from this tragic fate."

Zelda wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry Sheik… I did not know the fate of any of the Heroes' Guides. I understand now why you wish to break this bond."

Sheik tipped their head in acknowledgement.

They spoke no more that night, but Sheik could see the gears in Zelda's head turning as she mulled over what she had learned, and what it meant for her brother and this Sheikah stranger.

As Sheik drifted off into sleep, they thought of the new kinship they felt with Zelda, and how devastated she would be if Link was to die.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Despite Link's best efforts, his thoughts remained centered around Zelda and Sheik. Snippets of their conversation two nights before and images of Sheik's sharp eyes and Zelda's smile whirled around in his head. It was infuriating. The more Link saw Sheik's face, the more he hated the assassin. It wasn't fair that such a pretty- No, it wasn't fair that the jerk wanted to kill him just because of some bad choices their predecessors had made. So the previous generations of Link and Sheik had fallen in love and they had suffered from it. So what? That had nothing to do with their situation, and everything to do with the fact that they had literally spent months together trying to save the world. That kind of pressure and constant companionship had to do something to a person. Maybe they hadn't really been in love at all and it was just a passing infatuation that they used to cope with the difficulty of their quest.

There were a million reasons why the past generations hadn't worked out. None of them applied to Link's life now. He wasn't trying to save the world. He wasn't even a Hero! He was just a guy, living life, minding his own business. He'd never even met Sheik before! There was no reason for Sheik to try to kill him, and no reason for them to fall in love. In fact, Link hated Sheik and hoped the guards caught him.

Link shifted, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit in his wooden prison. But what if it was true that they were soul-mates? If the guards did catch and kill Sheik, did that mean that Link would never be able to find true love? Link had heard the stories before about people finding their true love and living happily forever, but he never believed them. Sure, he believed in love, but not a pre-destined person you were meant to meet. So many things could go wrong with that. You could never run into the person, you could not like them, they could die before you meet, you could already have a partner you're in love with when you do meet, they could be your sworn enemy- Link could have gone on and on with his mental list, but he stopped himself there. There was no way Sheik was Link's soul mate. There must be a more logical reason to explain why neither could harm the other.

But, Link mused, if he didn't hate him, Sheik would have been fairly attractive, nevermind that he was a guy. Or maybe he wasn't. Link wasn't entirely certain. But surely no female would be that rude and violent? Zelda was certainly not. She wasn't super feminine but she was never that... that... Link couldn't find the right word. He settled for an angry groan and threw his hands up in quiet frustration.

Outside, he heard the horses slowing to a halt and the rough voices of men shouting orders. They were stopping for the night, Link knew. He would soon be brought the disgusting crusts of bread and mushy beans that passed for food.

Right on cue, the lock on his box clicked, chains fell to the ground, and the wooden top of the box was opened, a sword tip thrust in before a large hand holding a tray of food was shoved inside. Wordlessly, Link stuck the tray from yesterday into the hand. The hand retreated, as did the sword, and the top of the box was shut again, cutting Link off from the darkening sky above.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi! Thank you all so much for reading this far! I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten from you all, and I have tried to reply to individual reviewers, but if I missed you, here is your personal THANK YOU! Reviews, favorites, follows and all that are huge encouragement to keep writing. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, and have a fabulous day! **

"There," Sheik whispered, pointing through the trees at a small light that had just flickered to life. In the gathering gloom, it was like a beacon through the dark woods.

Zelda gripped the dagger at her belt tighter, and frowned in concentration. It was still a ways off. More lights flickered into existence. Four in total.

Sheik motioned for Zelda to follow and they crept forward. Sheik made no sound. Zelda was less adept, but did her best. The dress she had run away in had been destroyed days ago. She had cut the skirt off just above the knees, torn off the decorations and emblem, and removed all of her jewelry. Not for the first time during the journey, Zelda was thankful she had been wearing one of her simple, day dresses and not one of her official royal wardrobe.

Once they got within sight of the camp itself, Sheik stopped them again.  
"Wait here," they hissed.

Zelda obeyed, staying low to the ground, hidden in the darkest of shadows.

Sheik crept to the edge of the clearing and lay still, counting how many their enemy was. They counted twenty in all. A rather sizable bunch. They didn't look to be anything special. To Sheik's trained eye they looked decidedly average. A bunch of thugs who had set their sights big. Sheik wondered briefly what their greater mission was, and if this was truly what it appeared to be. But they did not pursue that line of questioning. It did not matter. Sheik would free the prince, then find a way to kill him later after Zelda was certain not to reveal Sheik's whereabouts to the guards. After Link was dead, Sheik could leave, and never return to Hyrule. If it's royal line was destroyed and the kingdom thrown into war, well, that wasn't Sheik's problem.

Sheik motioned for Zelda to come closer.

She did. Though she moved as carefully as she could, she still cringed at every snapped stick, sure that Sheik was judging her for it. When she got to where the Sheikah was lying, she lay down next to them, leaning close to hear Sheik's whispered instructions.

"I'll take the guys. You find Link and free him. Meet me by the horses."

"Understood," Zelda said, eyes hard.

Sheik nodded, and closed their eyes for a heartbeat. With their focus centered on the task ahead, Sheik slid from the cover of the woods, knife in hand, and crept through the shadows past the group of men around the nearest fire.

Their rowdy laugher irritated Sheik, but they were thankful the men were not paying attention. Even their lookouts were scarce and seemed uninterested. Clearly not of a very high caliber.

Sheik snuck up to the nearest lookout, and, when the man turned to scan the other direction, Sheik stepped out of the shadows and slit his throat.

Covering his mouth to muffle the pained choke the man emitted, Sheik lowered the body slowly to the ground, hiding it behind the rock the sentry had been standing by. Next, Sheik moved towards the group of men themselves. It would not be long before one of them noticed the sentry was missing. But Sheik could use this small window to launch a surprise attack and hopefully take out five of the nineteen remaining men before they gathered arms.

With practiced ease, Sheik dashed up to the first man and stabbed him through a small gap in the back of his armor, right beneath the shoulder blade. Sheik drove the blade deep, ensuring the man's death.

Confused shouts of alarm began as Sheik pulled the knife from their victim and descended upon the remaining men like an angel of death.

Sheik didn't notice as Zelda finally broke from her trance of morbid fascination and made stealthy haste around the camp in search of Link.

The princess skirted the chaos Sheik had caused, and made her way to the other side of the camp. Men rushed from the remaining fires towards the sound of the struggle, making her job much easier. As she peeked around the edge of one tent, she noticed the wagon in the center of camp. It seemed incredibly out of place. There was a guard assigned to it, who stood gripping his weapon nervously and looking in the direction of the battle. There were no tents nor fires near this wagon, and it was locked with heavy chains.

"I bet he's in there," Zelda whispered to herself. She looked down at the dagger she clutched in her hand, and then back at the soldier. He looked as terrified as she felt.

Back in the direction she had come from Zelda could hear the chaotic sounds of fighting. Someone screamed about a demon before his voice was cut off, no doubt by Sheik's keen blade. And then Zelda was struck with an idea. She sheathed her blade, and began chanting in Ancient Hylian.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

From the shadows, a woman in tattered clothes emerged, arms spread wide, eyes laser focused, voice rising and falling in a chant that promised death. The soldier guarding Link's prison took one look, and fled, shouting for help.

Zelda dropped her arms and hurried to the wagon, silently commending herself for her intelligence and thanking the Goddesses that her ruse had worked.

"Link! Link are you in there?" she called, hammering her fists on the wooden walls.

"Zelda?!" his shocked voice came from inside.

"Oh thank the Three! Yes, it's me! I'm going to get you out." That said, Zelda wasn't quite sure how to get her brother out. She could not break the chains, nor did she have a key. She looked around desperately, racking her brain for what she knew about picking locks.

Her gaze landed upon the chopping block where the axe was still embedded, piles of split firewood beside it. "Maybe..." she murmured. She ran over and yanked the heavy tool free.

"Stand back, Link," she commanded.

"Wait, why? What are you-" Link didn't get to finish his query, as there was a loud _thunk_ and the sound of splintering wood. He pressed himself harder against the farthest wall.

Zelda took another swing, breaking through the plank this time. She pressed her advantage and hacked off another piece. Soon she was sweating and her hands ached, but there was a hole in the side of the wooden prison large enough for Link to climb through.

Zelda leaned on the handle of her axe as Link struggled through the hole and collapsed on the grass.

"You look terrible," she observed. She couldn't stop the relieved smile that tugged at the edges of her lips.

"So do you," Link snapped back, though his voice sounded tired and lacked any real ire.

Zelda dropped the axe and hauled her brother to his feet. "Come on, Sheik is probably waiting for us." She couldn't hear the sound of battle anymore; the night was unsettlingly quiet.

The two staggered back towards the woods, Link leaning heavily on Zelda as the world spun and his body tried to adjust to moving, and Zelda struggling to support her larger brother. They hadn't gotten far when Zelda heard a subdued _hisss. _She had barely registered the sound when an arrow shaft sprouted from the ground not a foot away.

"Run!" Zelda shouted, dragging Link as fast as she could.

Link dug into the last vestiges of his strength and ran. Having not eaten in three days and being severely dehydrated took its toll. His limbs felt heavy, his head swam and ached, his vision blurred. But he ran.

Unfortunately, they did not run fast enough. The third arrow pierced Zelda's thigh, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Zel!" Link yelped, as he too was pulled down.

It was by sheer luck that the next arrow did not hit either of them as they struggled to regain their feet.

And then there were no more arrows. The archer tumbled from his perch in a nearby tree, dead before he hit the ground.

Sheik emerged from the woods, and walked over to the body. They pulled a throwing needle from the archer's neck, wiping it off on the edge of their tunic. It seemed a futile action though as blood dripped from Sheik's hand, dirtying the metal once again. Sheik didn't seem to notice as the needle was tucked away into a pouch on their forearm and they strode quickly towards the siblings.

Sheik knelt next to Zelda, examining the wound.

She whimpered as the Sheikah wiped away the blood to get a better look.

"It's not lethal," they decided. "We need to move. We can deal with it when we are away from this place."

Zelda was in shock. Her face was pale, her skin damp with sweat, her breathing uneven and shallow. Link answered for her.

"She can't walk!" he shouted. "She needs treatment, now!"

"I can treat her when we are safe," Sheik hissed. They did not wait for Link to agree. Instead, Sheik snapped the shaft off near the entrance wound and hefted Zelda onto their back, eliciting further pained sounds.

Thankfully, Link didn't protest further, simply following Sheik through the silent woods as the moon sank below the horizon.

Once they had ridden far enough away that Sheik deemed them safe, they slid from the saddle, carefully lifting Zelda down after. She had passed out during their ride, and her condition had only worsened.

"Start a fire, quickly," Sheik commanded.

"I don't take orders from you!" Link snapped, dismounting as well and rushing to Zelda's side.

"Do you want her to die?" Sheik asked, anger lacing their carefully controlled tone.

Link glared, but moved away to start a fire.

Sheik lay Zelda down on the grass, and hastily lit a lantern so they could better examine the wound. It wasn't terrible. The arrow had gone in at an angle, missing the bone entirely and damaging only flesh and muscle. Sheik thanked the Three that it hadn't touched any of the major arteries either.

Hastily, Sheik laid out medical supplies. Red potion would be enough to fix this. Sheik just had to make sure the wound was clean, and the arrow was removed.

"Link, boil some water," Sheik requested, eyeing the arrow with displeasure.

Link grumbled, but did as he was asked. Sheik tore strips of clean cloth into rags for cleaning the injury, and prepared a few as bandages to slow the bleeding while Sheik disinfected the wound.

"Here," Link said, bringing over a pot of boiling water.

Sheik muttered a thank you, and first washed their hands with the hot water before they soaked a rag and began to clean the outside of the wound.

Link sat nervously across from Sheik, watching them work. He rocked up on the balls of his feet, then back on his heels, wringing his hands and tearing up grass. He felt useless. His sister was hurt and all he could do was watch as the person he hated cared for her.

At last, Sheik raised their red eyes to meet Link's. "I'm going to push the arrow the rest of the way through," Sheik informed Link. "It will hurt her. Immensely. Hold her still, or she might worsen the wound."

With a grimace, Link obeyed.

Sheik took a breath, and then pushed the arrow through Zelda's leg, pulling the barbed arrowhead out of the other side.

Zelda thrashed and screamed, eyes flying open, filled with tears. Link set his jaw and held her as still as possible, muttering calming phrases under his breath.

Zelda screamed more as Sheik took more rags and washed the exit wound, and as much of the space between as they could without causing more damage. Then, Sheik handed the bottle of red potion to Link and returned to pressing strips of cloth tightly to Zelda's leg to slow the bleeding.

"Make her drink," Sheik commanded.

Link hugged Zelda and spoke softly. "You need to drink this, Zel. It'll make you feel better. Come on…" He pressed the bottle to her lips as tears streamed down her face. But she drank, and Sheik silently sighed in relief as the bleeding slowed, then stopped, and Zelda's body relaxed. Sheik removed the dressings, wiped away the blood, and began packing up the medical supplies as Zelda clung to Link and cried.

"Shh," he whispered, hugging her tightly, "You're okay now. It's okay."

Sheik left them like that, slipping off into the shadows to tend to their own injuries.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

At sunrise the next morning, Link was awake. He sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Zelda who was wrapped up in the blankets next to him.

Sheik had refused to lend Link any of their gear, and there were only two bedrolls, and so the siblings had bundled up together against the pre-dawn chill, and gone to sleep. That was mere hours ago, and the exhaustion weighed heavily on Link. But he was worried about his sister, and very hungry.

With some effort, Link untangled himself from the blankets, leaving Zelda asleep, and went in search of food.

It was while he was rummaging through Sheik's saddle bags that the devil himself appeared.

"Get out of my stuff," Sheik snapped, striding over to Link.

"I'm hungry," Link all but whined as Sheik snatched the bags away from him.

"Find your own food. Or starve to death," Sheik said. "It would save me trouble."

Link glared, his anger flaring up again, hotter than ever in his irritable state.

"I should kill you and save the world trouble," Link growled.

Sheik stiffened. "What did you say?" they asked, turning back to fix Link in his murderous gaze.

Link grinned maliciously, knowing he had hit on something sensitive. "I said, you deserve to die. You're just a problem for everyone."

"I deserve to die? For what?" Sheik hissed. "For wanting my freedom?!" Their eyes flashed dangerously and a blade appeared in their hand.

Link hesitated for a moment, but his anger got the better of him. "You're nothing but a criminal, a murderer. You don't even deserve freedom."

"You're wrong!" Sheik yelled. "I deserve freedom as much as anyone else! I don't deserve to suffer because of you!"

"You're just a selfish murderer, trying to justify your actions!" Link claimed.

Sheik looked like they'd been punched in the gut. "I. Deserve. A. Choice!" Sheik shouted, and pounced on Link, knife poised to kill.

Predictably, Sheik's blade bounced off of Link's chest as if there were an invisible shield. The two wrestled on the ground, Link horribly outmatched in speed and strength in the state he was in, but Sheik was injured, and all Link needed was a tiny opening and some luck.

Link kneed Sheik in the side, sending Sheik rolling off of him across the uneven uneven ground. They glared, clutching at their side in pain. Blood oozed from beneath Sheik's fingers, spreading across their tunic like spilled ink.

Sheik stood up slowly, murder in their eyes, and walked slowly over to retrieve their bags.  
Link watched as Sheik dug out the medical bag, and then walked away into the woods. He did not follow. "Good riddance," he grumbled, but a frown creased his brow as he watched the Sheikah leave.

He was about to continue rifling through Sheik's bags when a whimper from Zelda caught his attention. Rushing to her side, he dropped to his knees next to her bedroll.

"Zelda?" he asked gently.

Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and a layer of sweat coated her forehead.

Concerned, Link pressed his hand to her forehead, and then her cheeks. "You're burning up," he muttered. With dread filling his heart, he pulled the blankets off of Zelda to get a look at her leg. There was no sign of the initial injury, but the skin around the place where the arrow had been was turning a sickly shade of blue, spreading up and down her leg along the veins.

"Oh no," Link said. Though he hated himself for doing it, Link got up and ran into the woods, shouting for Sheik.


	5. Chapter 5

Link and Sheik did not speak for the entirety of the desperate race to Kakariko Village. They paused only briefly to give the horses a chance to drink and rest before continuing on. Zelda's conditioned worsened by the hour. She did not wake up, and Link's concern only grew.

When first Link had dragged Sheik over to check on Zelda, Sheik had announced that it was poison, then immediately began breaking down their camp.

"We need to hurry." Was all Sheik had said before hoisting Zelda up onto the horse in front of them and setting their heels to the steed. That was the last thing Sheik had said to Link at all.

As they galloped into Kakariko Village, faces turned towards them and people paused in the street. Sheik reined in his horse and dropped gracefully to the ground.

Link, who was currently supporting Zelda, lowered the girl down to Sheik before dropping from the saddle himself. They had reached an unspoken truce, Zelda's well-being taking priority in both of their minds. Sheik had even given Link their travel rations in an attempt to make sure he would not be an additional burden during the journey.

Sheik handed Zelda back to Link, and led the way to a small, orange-walled building squished between a pale pink inn and a canary yellow store. A small bell tinkled above the door as Sheik pushed it open, holding it for Link as he maneuvered the unconscious princess inside.

Immediately a kindly looking man with a long beard rushed over to them.

Sheik lingered in the doorway as Link explained the situation to the man and followed him deeper into the building.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

When Link emerged from the infirmary, he found Sheik waiting by the horses, staring up at the sky.

Without a word, Link unhitched their horses, and, leading both, headed further down the dirt road which made up the main portion of Kakariko Village.

Sheik followed.

The prince led the way around the back of the inn to a stable, where he and Sheik removed their horses' tack and brushed them down. The two left their horses contentedly munching hay and headed into the inn.

"Thank you…" Link muttered as they made their way up the stairs to the rooms the innkeeper had given them.

Sheik glanced towards Link questioningly.

"For helping Zelda," he expanded. "The doctor… He said it was likely Zelda would already have been dead if the wound hadn't been cleaned so well initially… And if not for the red potion and quick thought in getting her to him."

Sheik inclined their head in acknowledgement. "It was the right thing to do."

That response surprised Link. But before he could say anything else, Sheik had let themself into their room, and shut the door.

"Stupid enigmatic jerk," Link muttered to the door. But there was no venom in his voice. He let himself into his own room and flopped onto the bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling. Less than a week ago he had been safe in his castle, living a peaceful, comfy life as a prince. Now he was staying at a cheap inn in a peasant town, hungry, dirty, and having just been kidnapped. Worst of all, he was stuck with Sheik, who had tried to kill him, and whom he hated. But, he admitted to himself, whom he was thankful had been there when Zelda got hurt. And, he realized, to save him from the kidnappers. Perhaps Sheik wasn't entirely evil and insane after all, Link mused.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

In the room across the hall, Sheik was having similar thoughts. Kind of. Not really.

Sheik sat on the edge of their bed, trying to figure out the best way to take a bath in a public bathhouse while avoiding other people.

In Sheik's life, there had only ever been a few things that made Sheik truly uncomfortable. Explaining their body and gender to other people was one of them. It's not that Sheik was ashamed of their body. It was more of… Sheik didn't know _how _to explain how they felt to other people. Sheik looked remarkably androgynous. And they felt decidedly androgynous. It wasn't a thing many people understood. It made Sheik very reluctant to undress in front of other people.

And that wasn't even considering the fact that if people noticed Sheik was a Sheikah, they might be attacked on the spot. Even though Kakariko Village had been founded by the Sheikah originally, racism was still very potent throughout Hyrule, and only slightly less so here.

All of which led Sheik to their current line of thought. That Link, whom Sheik still wanted dead, already knew that Sheik was Sheikah, and had already made his assumptions about Sheik's gender, and wasn't in a position to kill Sheik. Which made him the best option to guard the bathhouse while Sheik washed off the sweat, grime, and blood.

"I mean, our relationship can't get much worse," Sheik told themself. "All I have to do is ask. Don't have to explain, just demand that he does."

"There's no way he will," Sheik's brain said. "He hates you almost as much as you hate him. And let's face it, he's the one with leverage, not you. He doesn't even need you to care for Zelda anymore. But you need him not to tell the royal army where you are." Sheik dropped their head into their hands. But there was no choice. It was ask Link, or stay gross forever, and Sheik did not fancy the idea of having their wounds get infected. They didn't have any more red potion, nor did they have any rupees, and so this was their only option. With a sigh, Sheik left their room to go and ask for Link's assistance.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

There was a knock on the door, and Link got up with great effort to answer it. He opened the door to find Sheik on the other side. Link felt slightly pleased with himself when he realized that Sheik was nearly a full head shorter than he was, and he could look down on the Sheikah.

"I… Require your assistance," Sheik said through clenched teeth.

Link leaned on the doorframe. "And why should I help you?" he asked.

Sheik said nothing. There really wasn't a good reason.

Link watched the Sheikah shift their weight uncomfortably, red eyes flicking to their feet before seeming to catch themselves and returning to Link's face.

"Please." Sheik said eventually, so quietly that Link barely heard it.

He considered that "please" a victory. "What do you want?" Link asked.

"I need you to guard the bathhouse for me," Sheik admitted quietly.

Their voice was strained, and Link took great pleasure in Sheik's suffering. "Why?" Link asked, leaning forward slightly. "Are you ashamed of other people seeing you?" he teased.

"No," Sheik snapped. "I'm concerned about being attacked by racists Hylians while attempting to bathe." They glared.

Link shifted back and frowned. "Does that actually happen?"

Sheik nodded. "More often than anyone would like to admit, Prince."

Link thought for a moment, and then a thought occurred to him. "You're… Um..." He shifted his weight and scratched the back of his head. "I won't have to guard the… Ah, women's side, right?" Link asked haltingly.

Sheik hadn't thought about that. But they could see Link's discomfort with the idea and shook their head.

"Alright then, I'll protect you from the bullies," Link agreed.

Sheik could have punched him for the taunting tone he used, and nearly did, but restrained themself. Instead, they forced a smile that Link could not see beneath the cowl, and thanked the prince.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

"Hey Sheik," Link called through the door.

"What?" Sheik asked from within.

Link leaned his head back against the door he sat in front of and stretched out his legs. "I… I'm sorry for the things I said this morning. And… I wanted to thank you for rescuing me," he said.

Link could hear the sound of water splashing from beyond the door as Sheik rinsed the soap out of their hair. "Zelda asked me to," Sheik replied after a moment, ignoring his apology entirely. "If it were up to me, I'd have just let them kill you."

Link wondered it that meant that he wasn't forgiven, but he didn't press. Instead he said, "But you could have. You risked your life saving me and protecting Zelda. You could have walked away and let that archer shoot us both down."

More sounds of moving water reached Link as Sheik settled down in the bath. "Zelda has done nothing. It would be wrong to let her die."

"I haven't done anything either," Link said, "And yet you are constantly trying to kill me."

"That's different," Sheik replied. "You are bound to hurt me, I'm just being proactive."

Link shifted to face the door. "I don't think that's how that works!" he yelled.

"Prince," Sheik said, voice suddenly very close to the door. "We are soul-bonded. My inability to kill you is proof enough of that. Thus, one of us must die or both of us will suffer. And I have no intention of dying."

The door opened inwards and Link fell forwards, catching himself before smashing his face into the stone floor. He looked up at Sheik, and for a moment forgot why he hated this person at all. Sheik was dressed in a tight-fitting sleeveless top and loose, gerudo-style pants, their ever-present cowl draped loosely around bare shoulders. Their long blond hair was loose, and hung down to their waist, dripping a small puddle onto the floor.

Link scrambled to his feet, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Maybe we could call a truce and just be good soul-mates?" Link suggested, self-consciously straightening his borrowed tunic.

Sheik shook their head, and began braiding their hair as they walked. "Other generations have tried that. None succeeded in getting their happily ever after."

"Well then maybe we could just go back to our lives before all of this and pretend we never met. We never see each other again, and live out the rest of our lives however we please," Link proposed, falling into step beside Sheik.

"That has been tried as well," Sheik said.

"Then maybe… Maybe we can break the bond somehow," Link said.

Sheik sighed. "That's what I'm trying to do," they said.

"I mean break it in a way that doesn't involve me dying."

Sheik considered that. They had considered that numerous times before, and had never found another answer. They told Link as much. "If you find a way, I will do everything within my power to see it done," Sheik promised.

Link grinned.

"But I'm not going to wait for you to waste our lifetimes figuring it out," Sheik added.

Link's smile fell and he vividly remembered why he hated Sheik.

"Do you want to get some dinner?" Sheik asked, changing the subject completely.

Link thought maybe he didn't hate Sheik quite that much. "Absolutely," he said.

"Good. Go wash up, then we can go. You have rupees, right?"

And Link thought that maybe he did hate Sheik that much. Not only was he a jerk, but also a freeloader. With a scowl and a confused opinion on Sheik, Link left to go finally get clean.


	6. Chapter 6

It was while they were sipping warm cider and appreciating their full stomachs that Sheik suddenly got up and slid in among the folks at the inn's bar, taking a seat at the edge of the densely packed countertop.

"I heard that both of the royal siblings were killed."

"Yeah, I heard it was by a Sheikah."

"And that the murderer escaped!"

"Really? Because I heard from a traveler that he saw the whole thing, and that it was a sorceress who could summon demons who killed him and the princess. With her demon, you know."

"You believe that guy? His head wasn't on right I tell you. That man had lost his wits somewhere in those woods with them mercenaries he took up with."

The conversation murmured to a stop as the men at the bar noticed Sheik.

"Hey miss," one guy said, "This is no place for a young girl at this time of night. Dark things are about nowadays, you know."

Sheik kept their head down, and stifled a snort. Sheik was certain they were about the most dangerous thing in this town. "I know," they said meekly, "But your stories are so interesting!" They risked a quick glance up. "There's nothing but boring gossip in the kitchen," Sheik added for good measure.

"Well…" said one of the younger men. "If you're really curious I guess we can tell you."

There was some muttering from the other guys, but the one who had spoken elbowed his way over to stand next to Sheik.

"There's a rumor- just a rumor, mind you- that Duke Frennen has some people on the inside. In the castle, I mean, and he's going to assassinate the King. He's next in line after the prince and princess, you know, and with them dead, the king dead, and their mother away on a diplomatic visit to Termina… Well, she won't be back until the next Great Moon, and by then it'll be too late."

Link had chosen sometime during that conversation to join the cluster by the bar. Sheik felt him stiffen at their side. But thankfully, he had wits enough not to say anything to draw attention to himself.

"Oh my," Sheik said. "That's scary!" They feigned innocent fear and then tipped their head up to grin at the man who had told the tale. His eyes widened as he saw Sheik's red eyes through their bangs.

Sheik winked at him, and then left.

The man was left with a look of shock, and fear. But he was also drunk, and thus the best response he could think of was to down his drink and order another.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

"We have to do something!" Link said. "Cousin Frennen is going to try and kill dad! And everyone thinks we're dead." He rounded on Sheik. "This is your fault! If you hadn't tried to assassinate me, I would have never known you existed, Zelda would never have come up with this true-love nonsense, and we would still be safe at home, not at risk of dying!"

"On the contrary," Sheik countered, "It is because I tried to kill you that you are currently not at home and in danger of being killed by your dear cousin Duke Frennen. You should count yourself lucky that I tried to kill you and not one of his men. Anyone else would have succeeded."

Link had nothing to say to that, and was far more concerned with the fact that his father was in danger. "We have to do something," he repeated.

"I want no part in this," Sheik said, turning to walk away. "It makes no difference to me who rules this kingdom. Once you're dead, I'm going home."

"Sheik." Link stopped walking. "You will help me. If you do not, hundreds of innocent people will get hurt."

The tone of Link's voice gave Sheik pause. The Sheikah turned to study Link. In the light of the moon, Link looked ethereal. His blue eyes reflected the silvery moonlight and seemed to glow with determination and authority. Sheik had the fleeting thought that Link would make a fine king someday. Then they remembered that Link would never make it to adulthood. For the first time, that made Sheik ever so slightly sad. That little bit was enough to convince Sheik to protect the wishes and family of the one whose life they would take to preserve their own. Sheik felt that they owed it to Link. It was a foreign feeling, but one that consumed Sheik with such certainty that they had no power to fight it.

Sheik inclined their head in consent. "As you wish."

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Two mornings later found Sheik and Link gathering supplies for their journey back to Hyrule Castle.

Zelda had awoken that morning, and both of them had been there to greet her and relay all that they had learned. She was reluctant to stay behind, but, after trying to get up and promptly falling, she had relented.

After that was decided, Sheik had left the two siblings to say their farewells.

"When you see dad, tell him I'm okay," she'd asked Link.

"I will, but sis, I'm not ready to… to go back."

Zelda's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I'm going to protect dad and prevent Cousin Frennen from doing anything terrible, but I don't want to go back to just being a prince."

Understanding dawned on Zelda's face.  
"At first is was awful, but after being out here for a few days, I've found that I really want to see the world. As a commoner, I mean. There's a lot of stuff I don't know, and also… I had this idea that if I could find a way to break the bond between Sheik and I, maybe neither of us have to die in order for us to be happy."

"I understand," Zelda said. "And I want to come with you. So you come right back here once you've settled things at home, okay?"

Link grinned. "Promise," he said, offering his pinky finger to her.

Zelda smiled and linked pinkies. "One more thing, Link," Zelda said. "Don't let Sheik get killed. I know you hate her, but I think her life is worth preserving. I don't care if you're soul-mates or not, but if you let dad hang Sheik, I will never forgive you."

Link laughed. "Don't worry Zel, I don't want to watch that jerk hang either. That would defeat my whole point and then I wouldn't get to watch the look of despair on Sheik's face when he realizes I'm right, and he's wrong."

"I'm pretty sure Sheik's a girl," Zelda said.

"He went in the guy's bath," Link replied.

"You took a bath with Sheik?!" Zelda exclaimed.

Link laughed and shook his head. He then told Zelda of how he'd had to guard the bathhouse from other people while Sheik bathed, and their conversation drifted to lighter topics like their childhood mishaps and embarrassing stories. It felt good to laugh with his sister again. To Link, it felt like he was right where he was supposed to be, and for a moment, the threat of his father's assassination was forgotten.

It wasn't until Sheik came to inform Link that all preparations were complete that he finally tore himself away from Zelda and said his goodbyes. With his heart light, Link mounted his horse and set off towards home.


	7. Chapter 7

The journey back to Castle Town was uneventful. Under pressure from time, Sheik and Link only stopped briefly to rest and eat, but otherwise spent the full day riding in silence across the rolling green expanse of Hyrule Field. Camp chores when they stopped to sleep and when they broke camp in the morning were done in efficient silence.

The silence became comfortable, a mutual wall between the two that separated them just enough to keep the peace. Neither felt the need to break it. They shared a common goal and a clear course of action, and that was enough.

Unfortunately, that action was soon complete, and the two were forced to speak in order to formulate the next step of their plan.

"This," Sheik pointed at a place on the map of Castle Town they carried with them, "is where my safehouse was. But I wouldn't trust it to still be a secret. This," they pointed to another spot in the shadier part of town "is where we should go. It's a tavern, there's a woman I know who works there who will let us into the hidden loft. We can make base there."

"Why are we going back to the gross part of town?" Link asked. "I have a perfectly good castle we could stay in. We could sneak in and stay in the servants quarters. No one would need to know we were there."

Sheik rolled their eyes. "I can't go in the castle, Prince," Sheik said in a tone that implied Link was stupid. "Or have you forgotten that I am a wanted criminal?"

Link shrugged. "Then I'll go to the castle. I can protect my father that way anyhow."

Sheik shook their head. "I like the idea of having you out of my way, but how are you going to protect your father when you don't know what to protect him from?"

"Assassins, right? I just kill them before they can kill him."

Sheik slapped their palm to their forehead. "Are you stupid? They're assassins because they can escape notice and kill a person stealthily. That means without anyone knowing. That's the whole point," Sheik said.

"I know that but-!" Link began, but Sheik stopped him with a hand.

"Let me put it this way, when I came to kill you, who noticed? No one. Not until it was too late." Sheik frowned. "Would have been too late," they corrected bitterly. "What we need to do is collect information. Once we know who the killers are, we can eliminate them before they have a chance to kill your father."

Link nodded reluctantly. "That makes sense I guess," he admitted.

Decided, the two left their horses in the care of a small farm outside of the town, and meandered through the gates, hidden amongst the numerous townspeople that hurried to and fro about their business.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Sheik pressed their hands against the bars of the grate and muttered a word of power. The metal glowed red hot, and Sheik pulled the bars apart as if they were rubber instead of solid iron.

"Come on," they said, carefully squeezing through the gap in the bars and into the waterway beneath the soldiers' barracks. Link followed slowly, eyeing the still glowing bars nervously.

Thanks to the days spent gathering intelligence on how to break into the castle, Sheik knew the best places to eavesdrop on knowledgeable soldiers and castle staff with loose tongues. The canteen in the barracks was one of the best.

Sheik led the way through the waterway into the basement of the canteen.

"Long time ago, they'd use this waterway to dispose of waste into the moat around Castle Town," Sheik informed Link in a whisper. "But after the efforts to clean up the moat, they stopped doing that. Now it's just a convenient way in."

Link did not think it convenient as they'd had to cross numerous grates and traps, but he said nothing.

Sheik climbed out of the water, and wrung out their long braid of hair, making a displeased noise at how wet they were.

Link followed them onto the shore, taking in the rows and rows of barrels lining the walls. Some were full of fruits, vegetables, and dried meats, but even more were filled with alcohol. On shelves placed over barrels, there were rows of cheese and bread. In one corner sat a large ice box, which presumably held fresh meat and other perishables.

"This way," Sheik said, leading Link up a rickety set of wooden stairs to a low wooden door. Sheik pressed their ear to the wood and listened. Apparently satisfied that the coast was clear, Sheik eased the old door open and snuck into the kitchen. It was after breakfast and before lunch, and most of the kitchen staff were huddled at a table eating their meal and mentally preparing themselves to start cooking lunch for the multitude of soldiers.

Sheik stepped around a corner and jumped gracefully onto an empty crate. From there, they leapt onto one of the support beams in the ceiling, and made their way into the main room, crawling along the beams.

"You've got to be kidding," Link muttered, watching the leith figure disappear above. He took a deep breath, set his shoulders, and followed Sheik up.

Slowly, carefully, Link inched his way along the narrow beams towards the Sheikah, doing his best to make no sound. His heart hammered in his chest, and not for the first time that morning, he wondered why he hadn't just alerted the guards to the scheme and spent the rest of the day safe and comfortable in the castle.

Sheik made a soft hissing noise and pointed towards a narrow ventilation slit in the wooden wall separating this room from the next.

Link eyed the slot and frowned, but before he could say anything, Sheik had squeezed themselves into the gap and disappeared. With a sigh, Link once again began inching forwards.

It was slow going, but eventually the duo made it into the common room where the off-duty soldiers tended to gather. Perched in the rafters, they settled in to listen.

Link began to zone out after awhile. The chatter seemed harmless enough. People complained about jobs, families, their lives. None of it seemed relevant, and Link's legs were tired and cramped. He cast a glance and Sheik, wondering vaguely how he managed to look so at ease crouched on a slim wooden beam many yards above the ground. The Sheikah was still as a statue, and focused entirely on the happenings down below. Link found himself staring at the visible part of Sheik's face and wondering why they chose to cover the rest up all the time.

"There," Sheik said softly, startling Link out of his thoughts. "That man is the one we're looking for. His name is Aloric."

Link shifted his position, trying to ease his legs and get a better look at the man's face. They watched as Aloric glanced furtively around the room, then slipped a letter to one of the kitchen staff, who casually slid the letter into his pocket and continued his work.

"I'll get that letter. You keep an eye on Aloric," Sheik whispered.

Link nodded, and watched as Sheik gracefully made their way back the way they had come and disappeared.

With a strange sense of excitement, Link crept along the beams and made his way to the ground as Aloric left the room. It wasn't hard for Link to blend in with all of the soldiers. They barely gave him a second glance as he made his way through the hallways. In his simple travel clothes with a sword slung over his back, he looked like another off-duty soldier going about his business.

Link followed Aloric all the way to the top of the walls, where he suddenly found himself strangely exposed. The soldiers up here were all in uniform, and Link was not. Careful not to be seen, Link slipped into a shadowy corner behind a rack of weapons and watched as Aloric made his rounds along the wall, checking in with soldiers and adding his eyes to the many sets watching for suspicious persons. Link noticed that he would make a strange hand sign at some of the men, and not others.

Finally, Aloric made his way back past Link, and off the wall. Link slipped out of his corner, and followed the man down the narrow halls. He stopped outside of an unremarkable wooden door, and glanced around.

Nervous, Link kept his eyes on the ground and continued walking.

"Hey, soldier!" The voice directly behind him made Link pause. Then a hand grabbed him and spun him around. "No self-respecting man should ever walk with his head down. You're a soldier of Hyrule! Be proud, keep your head high and your shoulders straight!"

Link raised his head to find himself looking directly at Aloric. "Yes sir," he said quietly, praying that the soldier would not recognize him. But it seemed that fortune was not with Link at that moment, for as soon as he looked up, recognition flickered in Aloric's eyes. The commander stepped back, a look of shock on his face. Before he could say anything, Link turned and ran.

Behind him, he could hear Aloric shouting something, and it didn't sound like something nice. Suddenly, there was the clatter of footsteps behind him, and the shouts of other people as soldiers gave chase.

Link ran as fast as he could, weaving and dodging through confused soldiers and around corners, up and down staircases and past shouting men. He glanced behind him, checking on his pursuers, and ran straight into someone. The impact sent both him and the other person tumbling to the ground. Link fell on top, hearing a pained grunt from the other person as they hit the stone floor.

"Link?!" Sheik exclaimed, struggling underneath the Hylian.  
Link blinked and looked down into Sheik's furious red eyes. "Sorry!" he yelped, hurrying to stand up.

"What happened?" Sheik asked.

Link grabbed Sheik's hand. "No time to explain, run!"

"Link-!" Sheik didn't finish their sentence as Link dragged them around a sharp corner and up another flight of stairs in an attempt to lose their pursuers.

The chase continued until Link finally stopped, panting, in an alcove behind a large tapestry hung by an open window. He and Sheik stayed still, pressed together in the small alcove, while the tramp of soldiers' boots thundered past, shouts of "find the intruder!" disappearing down the stone hallway.

"What did you do?" Sheik hissed angrily, shoving Link as far away from them as possible. Which was only about an inch in their confined hiding place.

"He recognized me!" Link whispered back, glancing around Sheik to see if there was anyone nearby.

"Who?" Sheik asked.

"Aloric," Link said, pushing aside the tapestry and stepping out, accidentally tripping over Sheik's feet in the process.

Sheik followed with much more grace. "I knew I should have just gone myself," Sheik growled, red eyes bright with anger.

"It was an accident!" Link said.  
"An accident that nearly cost you your life!" Sheik all but yelled back. They ran a hand through their bangs, smoothing down the tousled strands. "Nevermind, let's just get out of here." Sheik turned to go, when footsteps stopped them.

"I thought you might have pulled something like this," a deep voice said.

Sheik spun around, blade appearing in their hand, ready to fight.

Link drew his sword.

"When I saw the Sheikah with you, I knew you were up to something. And here we all thought you were safely dead, my prince," Aloric said mockingly. "Such a shame that you couldn't have stayed away for one more day."

Link's jaw clenched. "You are a traitor to the crown. The punishment for treason is death," Link growled. "Lay down your weapons and surrender."

Aloric laughed. "That's cute," he said. Behind him, more soldiers filed into the hall, blocking off both escape routes.

"Unfortunately, it seems you are outnumbered. And outmatched." Aloric drew his sword, and advanced towards the two.

Sheik slid into a low stance, knife raised, ready to kill. "I am not going to die because of you," they said to Link.

Link said nothing. He really didn't see how they were going to avoid dying. They were outnumbered, all their paths blocked, no chance of escape… Wait. An idea popped into Link's head. They were on the wall. Beneath the wall was the moat. And behind them…

Without another thought, Link sheathed his sword, grabbed Sheik around the waist and leapt through the open window.

He barely registered Sheik screaming as they plummeted towards the deep water below. Link prayed to the Three that they were not high enough for the surface tension to kill them.

With a loud _splash_, Link felt the icy waters of the moat engulf him, and began to swim towards the surface.

His head broke the water and he gasped for air, adrenaline pumping through his veins. High above him, Aloric looked down from the open window, a look of murder upon his face.

Link glanced around. Sheik had still not surfaced. Link took a deep breath and dove back under, searching for the drowning Sheikah. Not far away, he spotted a dark shape sinking into the water. A few strokes brought him level with Sheik, and, looping his arm around them, Link hauled Sheik back to the surface.

He dragged the small Sheikah up onto the narrow bank beneath the wall and turned them onto their side.

Choking, Sheik spat up moat water, struggling to breathe.

Link let out a sigh of relief as the Sheikah regained their wits, and managed to push themselves into a sitting position, still coughing up water. Link reassuringly patted their back. "Are you okay?" he asked, pushing his dripping bangs out of his face.

Sheik didn't respond, choosing instead to shove Link away from them and continue putting air back in their lungs.

"I didn't know you couldn't swim," Link said by way of an apology.

Sheik just shook their head, and shakily got to their feet.

"You sure you're ready to move?" Link asked.

Sheik glared at him. Their cowl had slipped down during their unexpected swim, revealing their face, lips set in a scowl. Link took a moment to stare, surprised by how pretty they were when not covered in cuts and bruises.

"I am not so fragile," Sheik said. "Let's go. Now that they know you are alive and suspicious of them, we haven't got much time." Sheik once again took the lead as they snuck back across the drawbridge, this time hidden in the back of a hay wagon.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

After a brief discussion, the pair had decided it was most efficient to split up. Link was to take the letter that Sheik had stolen off of Aloric's messenger to the castle to warn them of the intended assassination along with the time and place, all of which were detailed in the note. Sheik had said they would handle Aloric.

After parting ways, Sheik meandered through the busy city streets, keeping their head down and doing their best to look inconspicuous. They knew which path Aloric would take to the castle when it was his turn to report for guard duty. They had followed him and his men many times before while trying to learn the patterns of the guards in the castle.

Sheik loitered in the market square, pretending to check out the wares of the various merchants. The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, it wouldn't be long before Aloric would begin his trip to the castle in time for the changing of the guard. As if on cue, the crowds began to shift, clearing a path for the squad of royal guards in their polished uniforms. Moving with the crowd, Sheik watched as they marched past, fingering their dagger beneath their cloak. Up ahead the small force would turn into an alleyway that would be less populated, that was where Sheik would strike. They followed as the soldiers rounded the corner, leaping up onto the rooftops to get above them.

Sheik took a breath. The window was small, and the risk was high. Adrenaline coursed through their body as they focused in on their target. With practiced grace, Sheik threw themself off of the rooftop and into the center of the group, landing on Aloric's shoulders.

Before anyone could react, Sheik had slit his throat. There wasn't time to search the body for any more incriminating evidence as half a dozen spears tips sought Sheik's heart. Muscle memory kicked in as Sheik dodged and weaved between the weapons, knocking aside the heavy shafts as they made for the walls. If they could get onto the rooftops, their chance of escape would increase immensely.

The clamour of conflict had attracted a lot of attention, and more guards rushed to the scene.

Sheik rolled beneath a soldier's overextended leg and launched themselves up the nearest wall, hauling themselves over the edge. Spears clattered onto the rooftop behind them as some of the soldiers tossed their weapons, but none hit Sheik as they raced across the rooftops and disappeared into the gathering gloom.

They spent the rest of the evening picking off the soldiers loyal to Aloric as they spread out across the city in small search parties. The lives Sheik claimed that night totalled at 16. Rumors were spreading like wildfire of a dark creature haunting the city and by the time the moon had risen, the streets were entirely deserted save for the homeless, drunk, and the prostitutes. The streets were ablaze as every light in the city was on in an attempt to ward off any evil.

Sheik slunk back to Telma's bar, taking extra precautions as they did. When they pushed the door open and Telma saw them, her mouth dropped open.

"My goodness Sheik! Things must be serious out there." she said. She took in Sheik's disguise: a suggestive, Gerudo-style outfit that had been stored away in the bottom of Sheik's travel pack.

"There are many who are disloyal to the crown," Sheik said by way of explanation. "And many more who would see me dead."

Telma shook her head and continued cleaning her unusually empty tavern as Sheik made their way to the hidden loft to change into their regular clothes.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Across the city in the castle, Link sat stiffly by his father's side. The conversation about where he had gone and why had not been a comfortable one, and the King was livid. The formal dinner they were currently attending would have been unpleasant under normal circumstances, but with his father's disappointment and anger weighing on him, Link found it unbearable. He had shown his father the letter, but his father had dismissed the notion of his cousin betraying him as impossible and had shoved the letter back at Link, refusing to believe its contents. With nothing but his ceremonial sword at his side, Link felt very exposed, and very afraid. He kept scanning the crowds and the surrounding guards, looking for faces he recognized from the earlier chase, looking for anyone who stared too long at the King. He also searched the shadows. For assassins, he told himself, but every time he looked, a small part of him wished to see Sheik unobtrusively guarding the king. He wondered how Sheik's mission fared. Aloric's squad had not come to relieve the current king's guard, so Link thought it must be going well. News of the chaos outside of the castle walls had yet to reach him.

The dinner dragged on and on, and at last, it ended. No attempt had been made on the King's life, and as he was escorted back to his rooms, Link sighed in relief. They must have successfully foiled Duke Frennen's plans.

Link waited until the moon was high in the sky before he snuck out of his bedroom window. The guards on the wall, he noticed, had been increased, and sneaking past them proved more difficult than it had ever been before. Once he was safely out on the streets, Link ran. He did not notice how empty the streets were, but he did notice the increased patrols and the blood-stained cobblestones as he made his way to Telma's Bar.

"Link!" Telma greeted as he pushed the door open and made his way inside.

He nodded a greeting to her. "Where's Sheik?" he asked. His tone was harsh.

Telma pointed towards the back of the bar where the ladder was that led to the hidden loft. "Sheik's up there. No one saw you come in, did they? Seems like things are pretty dangerous out there right now."

Link shook his head, excused himself, and made his way up to the loft. He had a feeling things were 'pretty dangerous' because of something the Sheikah had done.

"No one saw you come in here, right?" Sheik asked immediately.

Link shook his head. "No one saw me. What did you do? I saw the blood, I saw how many search parties there are hunting for you."

Sheik sat back down on the low bed and their eyes met Link's. "I killed Aloric. And all of his men."

Link's eyes widened. "All of them?"

"Yes."

"Why?! The only one who needed to die was Aloric! The rest were harmless without him!"

"They were all traitors," said Sheik. "If I had just killed Aloric, someone else would have stepped in to take his place. This way, the king is safe."

"Some of those people were good soldiers! They had families, and friends… If you had just told the soldiers they could have been imprisoned! They didn't need to die!"

"Link!" Sheik cut in. "If I had not killed them, more attempts would have been made on the lives of the royal family. Don't be so naive! In this world people die all the time. It's kill, or be killed. You are soft if you think that that everyone deserves a second chance, that anyone can be reformed and saved."

Link glared. "Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? I gave you a second chance!"

"You didn't have a choice!" Sheik snapped back. "You couldn't kill me if you tried!"

Link took a threatening step forward and reached for his sword. "You want to find out? I haven't actually tried to kill you yet. Maybe I'm the only one that's safe from being stabbed, maybe you're the only one in love, because I hate you!"

Sheik's anger seemed to disappear, the crease in their brows eased, and their posture relaxed. The emotion drained from their eyes, the red becoming cold as ice. "You're a fool," Sheik said coldly. "Get out. Go home."


	8. Chapter 8

Sheik lay awake, staring out at the crescent moon hanging low in the Western sky. What if Link was the only one who was safe? He hadn't yet tried to harm Sheik with anything more than fists. Those hadn't worked, but perhaps a blade would? Sheik thought that was unreasonable, but couldn't shake the concern. The Goddesses loved their Hero. Of course they would protect him. But nobody loved Sheik, and if they died, they doubted the Goddesses would care.

'_You're the only one in love!" _Link had said. Sheik knew this wasn't true. Maybe they had thought that Link wasn't such a bad person. Maybe they had stared at his sky blue eyes as they made their plans and thought of the bluest mountain skies, maybe they had spent most of their life thinking about this boy and preparing to kill him. But none of that meant that Sheik was in love. Obsessed maybe, but not in love.

But then why was Sheik so upset that Link had actually left them alone in a hostile city? Sheik didn't have an answer.

The sun rose, and Sheik packed their things, preparing to leave. They had saved the king, and they couldn't kill Link on their own, it was time to go home.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link's anger had cooled by the time he had snuck back into his room in the castle. In the morning, he decided, he would talk to his father about Cousin Frennen, and ask for his father's permission to travel Hyrule. Zelda was still waiting for him in Kakariko, much to his father's displeasure, so he didn't have much time to waste here.

He slept fitfully, and in the morning he went straight to his father's chambers.

"Link," the king said, sounding none too happy to see his son.

"Father," Link replied. "I must speak with you. In private if possible." He eyed the attendants flitting about the room.

The king waved them out and sat heavily behind his imposing wooden desk. He looked tired, his eyes sunken in their sockets, his skin pale and clammy. "What now, Link?" he asked. Even his voice sounded tired. It lacked the anger of the previous night, which reassured Link just a bit.

"I tried to tell you last night," Link began.

Instantly his father's eyes narrowed.

Link hurried to get the words out before his father could interrupt. "Cousin Frennen is the one plotting to kill you. Shei- er, someone else has dealt with the traitors in our army but he's bound to try again. He's the one who kidnapped me, and the reason why Zelda got poisoned." Link stopped to gather his thoughts, but rushed on before the space was enough to warrant a response. "Also I want to go on a journey across Hyrule. Zelda said she wants to come with me. I hope we can have your permission," Link said.

The king's frown had grown heavy while the prince spoke. "Duke Frennen is loyal to me," the king said. He started to say more, but his voice what cut off by a coughing fit.

"Father!" Link exclaimed, eyes widening with horror.

Blood stained the handkerchief that the king had used to cover his mouth.

Suddenly, something clicked in Link's head. There had been a particular cup-bearer at the dinner last night, one who had refused the other nobles bids for her to fill their cups and had served only the king. He shot to his feet. "I'll get the doctor!"

The king continued to cough as Link sped from the room.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Sheik paused in their stealthy escape from the city, crouched low in a waterway. Ahead of them, they could hear whispering voices. The tunnels curved in such a way that their quiet words were carried clearly to Sheik's ears.

"Was the mission a success?"

"It was. Our infiltration party was caught and all of them murdered, but they served their purpose as a distraction. The king drank the poison in his wine last night."

Sheik mentally swore.

"Excellent. Master Frennen will be very pleased."

Sheik heard the rustling of paper and cloth as something traded hands and was slipped beneath water-logged clothes.

"May the dark sun shine upon you," one of the voices said. The other repeated the phrase and Sheik crept hastily back around a further corner as two sets of footsteps went in opposite directions, one towards the tunnel's exit, one back towards the city.

Sheik mentally swore again, this time in Sheikah, and turned around. If Link died, that was fine, but if the King died, Sheik would be breaking their word to protect him. There was still work to be done before Hyrule would be safe.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Zelda heard many things during her time in Kakariko. As soon as she was well enough to stand, she had begun helping the doctor around his shop. His hobby was studying new and interesting plants, which Zelda enjoyed immensely. Sometimes, she would work in the front of the shop, giving the people that came to the doctor for help the herbs and medicines he assigned or selling them various supplements and teas. In her time off, she spent almost every minute in the doctor's lab and greenhouse studying the wide variety of unusual plants he had collected. It made the time go by quickly, and kept her from dwelling too long on how things were going back at Hyrule Castle. She hoped everything had gone well.

In addition to a range of herbal knowledge, Zelda also heard rumors. One popular rumor was the story of the witch-summoner and her demon that had laid waste to a traveling band of mercenaries not too far from the village. This one made Zelda smile quietly to herself. But the piece of gossip that really caught her attention was a rumor about the disappearance of the Forest Sage. She couldn't help but wonder if the strange dreams she'd been having and the growing unrest across Hyrule had anything to do with that. As of late her nightmares had been getting worse and worse. Once shadowy, vague shapes were beginning to solidify into figures and fears. Zelda wasn't sure what they meant yet, but she was convinced that they were more than mere nightmares.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link was sitting by his father's bedside in the infirmary when the doors slammed open and a squad of guards marched in, hauling a struggling figure between them.

"Prince!"

Link recognized the voice immediately; it was Sheik.

"Quiet!" snapped one of the guards, swinging his spear. Link heard a grunt of pain and the sound of Sheik's body hitting the floor.

"Stop that!" Link ordered, getting to his feet. "Let him go, he's no danger to me."

The soldiers gave him an incredulous look. "Sir, this is the monster that murdered 16 of our men last night and tried to assassinate you not a full month ago."

Link cringed at the number. He took a breath. "I know," he said eventually. _But he wouldn't have come here unless it was something important. _Out loud he said, "Even so, release him, but leave him bound. I will speak to him on my own."

"Your majesty-"

Link glared at the guard, silencing him.

The guards shuffled from the room, giving Sheik dirty looks that promised pain as they left.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Sheik awkwardly got to their feet, careful not to trip on the chains binding their ankles together.

"Why are you here?" Link asked.

Sheik's red eyes locked onto Link, and he could practically see Sheik fighting down the urge to say something offensive. Instead, when Sheik spoke it was only to give Link directions. "Hidden in the bindings on my left thigh is a small packet and a letter," they said. "They contain information regarding the poisoning of the king. Though I see my information comes too late."

Link turned back to look at his father. Only minutes before he had been well enough, now he was asleep on the bed, waking up every few minutes in coughing fits. "The doctors don't know what type of poison was used," Link said. "So perhaps you can be useful after all." Link got up from his chair and moved over to Sheik.

"Wait," Sheik said, taking a shuffling step away from Link. "Unbind me, and I shall give you the evidence."

Link snorted. "No way. You killed 16 of my men, a whole group of mercenaries, and would have killed me too, I know how dangerous you are."

Sheik had no good response to that, so they settled for "You suck."

"And you smell like a soldier's dirty laundry," Link replied. He took out a knife.  
"Don't you dare cut those!" Sheik snapped, trying to move away again.

Link merely reached out and grabbed their arm. "Shh," he said, holding Sheik more or less still as he cut through the wrappings on Sheik's leg.

Sheik's string of rude names was ignored as Link picked the note and oiled leather envelope off the floor where they had fallen. He moved to opened the envelope.

"Don't open that!" Sheik said. "If you breathe it in, it could kill you."

Link gingerly set the envelope aside. "Poison, got it." He opened the letter. "This is hard evidence that Cousin Frennen is plotting against my father," Link said. "Everyone will have to believe me now."

"Yes, I have saved the day, now release me."

"No."

"I just saved the king's life! And yours… Damn."

"True, but you also killed a lot of people."

"They deserved to die."

Link shook his head and walked back to his father's side.

"Ungrateful jerk. I shouldn't have come to help you," Sheik grumbled.

The king did not open his eyes, but Link hoped he could hear him. "I'm going to save you, father. The doctors can find an antidote now. I know you don't like the idea of me traveling, but I'm going. I'm sorry. I'll stop Cousin Frennen and protect you and Hyrule."

Sheik watched the exchange impassively, but in their mind, a small flicker of concern blinked into life. Here was a boy destined to be a Hero choosing to take a hero's path. The boy would become a man, and if they didn't do something quickly, Sheik would become exactly like those before them. Link had to die before he realized his role as the Goddesses' Hero.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

The next morning, Link and Sheik were on the road again. Sheik remained bound, their hands shackled together in front of them. Link carried a letter bearing the royal seal, a notice that Duke Frennen had been stripped of his title. It had been decided, mostly by Link, that they would go to the Duke's castle and politely inform him that they knew of his plans and were asking him to step down quietly. In return, he would be granted his life and liberty.

Sheik thought this was too lenient, and was of the opinion that the Duke should be hanged for his crimes. But, Sheik was in no position to make that call, and the hypocrisy of the situation was not lost on them.

As the horses passed beneath the deep shadows of the woods, their keen ears picked up on a sound.

"What is it, girl?" Link asked his horse, patting her neck reassuringly.

The horse snorted and flicked her ears back and forth.

Link reached for his sword.

Before the blade had left its sheath, the two riders were surrounded. Strange, bipedal, snake-like creatures burst from the thick foliage, hissing and aiming sharp teeth for flesh.

Link swung his blade, beheading one of the monsters. Epona reared, neighing loudly and smashing her heavy hooves onto two more of the snake monsters.

Sheik's horse also reared, and the sheikah clung to the saddle. "Prince!" Sheik shouted. "Give me my daggers!"

"No way in hell!" Link shouted back, leaping from Epona's back and into the fray.

"Moron!" Sheik shouted back, kicking one of the snake creatures in the head as it shot towards their horse's neck.

No matter how many Link cut down or how many were crushed beneath the horses' hooves, more seemed to swarm out of the shadowy trees.

"We need to move!" Sheik shouted.

Link agreed. He ran back towards Epona, cutting through monsters as he went. Sheik was impressed with his swordsmanship. It was a shame that such skill would soon be lost.

Sheik spurred their horse forward down the path, trampling a way through the monsters.

Link shouted something behind them, and Sheik turned in his saddle to watch as Link was tackled to the ground by a group of the snake monsters.

_Good, _Sheik thought. _They'll kill him and I'll be free. _

Behind them, Link screamed in pain.

Unbidden, the memory of Link claiming he'd find a way to free them both that didn't involve anyone dying popped vividly into Sheik's mind. With storybook perfection, the guilt crashed down on Sheik, wrenching their gut. The Sheikah wasn't sure they could have left the Prince behind now if they'd tried.

"Hell," Sheik muttered, fighting the urge to let go of the reigns and clutch at the pain in their chest. "What is this nonsense?" They wheeled their horse around and charged back towards Link. There was too much of a risk of hurting the prince if Sheik brought their horse too close, so Sheik leapt from the saddle as the horse thundered past, leaving their steed to cause chaos for the rest of the monster horde while Sheik struggled to free Link.

With their hands tied and all their weapons confiscated, Sheik was certain they would die. But they were in too deep to back out now, and the agony in their chest drove them forwards, muttering curses under their breath all the while. Years of training kicked in as Sheik danced through the monsters. They didn't have a good way to kill the monsters, but they could certainly hurt them. The heavy manacles on their wrists became a weapon, turning the Sheikah's unarmed strikes into bone-crushing blows.

_I'm going to die. _Link thought. He rolled to the side, avoiding the sharp, venomous fangs of the monster above him. He kicked it hard in it's serpentine body, sending it flying back into its kin. The wound on his arm stung, and Link hoped that the barbed tails of these creatures weren't poisoned as well. He brought his arm up just in time to catch the fangs of yet another monster, grateful for the hardened leather gauntlets that protected his forearms. He prayed to Din for strength as another wave of monsters surged forwards. Without warning, there was a blinding flash, forcing Link to close his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear the dancing spots from his eyes, thrashing wildly as he was grabbed from behind.

"It's me!"

Sheik's voice somehow made it through the haze of panic and adrenaline, even if the words did not. Link stopped thrashing long enough for Sheik to pull Link to his feet while the blinding effect of the deku nut wore off. Unfortunately, it was also wearing off for the monsters around them.

"Unbind me!" Sheik hissed, thrusting their manacled wrists towards Link, red eyes never leaving the recovering horde. "I can't fight well like this."

"If I uncuff you, you'll run away," Link said.

Sheik risked a glare in Link's direction. "If you don't, we'll both die."

Link caught Sheik's glare with his own look of challenge. "Promise me you won't run away."

"Link, don't be-!" Sheik stopped mid-sentence. "Fine, fine, I promise." They shook the manacles insistently at Link.

The prince smiled a sunshine smile and removed the key hanging from around his neck.

Just in time, the lock clicked and the chains thudded to the ground. Sheik didn't waste a second. Quick as a viper, they snatched the dagger off of Link's belt and threw themselves at the monsters.

Link picked his sword up off the ground, and followed Sheik into the fray.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

After slaughtering the monster horde, Link and Sheik rode about a mile further down the road, then stopped and made camp. Both had sustained minor injuries, but nothing that bandages and a little time couldn't fix. Link sat by the fire, stirring a small pot of stew while Sheik tended to the horses a few paces away.

"Hey Sheik," Link asked, not taking his eyes off of the steaming pot.

"What?" Sheik asked.

"I don't mean to pry and this might be a little personal and you don't have to answer if you don't want to but," Link paused to take a breath, "Are you actually a woman?" he blurted out.

Sheik's hand stilled, brush hovering over their horses' coat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable I just-" Link stopped himself as Sheik moved into the ring of firelight and sat down. "I am not, Prince," Sheik said. "But I am also not a man." The Sheikah watched as Link's eyebrows drew together over his sky-blue eyes as he tried to make sense of this information.

"I don't understand," Link said eventually.

"Do you want to understand?" Sheik's heart beat faster, and they could feel the familiar discomfort creeping up their spine, causing their insides to flip flop uncomfortably and their cheeks to turn pink. They tugged their cowl up a little higher.

"Yes," said the prince. He met Sheik's eyes.

Sheik felt the nervousness calm down a little.

"We've been travelling for awhile together now, and at first I wasn't sure, but now I think you might not be that bad of a person. I still hate you, but I hate you less," Link explained, "So I think we should get to know each other better."

Sheik felt a smile tug at the corners of their lips for no particular reason. "Very well," they said. "Fill some bowls, I will explain while we eat."

Once dinner had been served, Sheik stared into their bowl for a long time before beginning to talk. "Frequently," they began, "Gender is thought of as black and white; you're either female, or you're male. But the Sheikah understand that their is both feminine and masculine energy in all people, merely in different amounts. For some, they have more masculine, and thus identify as male. For others, they have more feminine, and thus identify as female. But for me, I have both in equal measure. So where does that place me?"

Link said nothing, sensing that this was a rhetorical question that Sheik had asked themselves time and time again.

"I am neither male nor female, I'm just... Me," Sheik said. "I'm in the middle."

Link nodded slowly, processing this. "But you used the men's bath in Kakariko?" he asked.

"For your comfort," Sheik explained.

"So then your body is…" Link trailed off, not sure if he should ask or not.

"What sex my body is matters to none but me," Sheik said. "How I look shouldn't change the way I am treated. What matters is how I behave."

"That's true," Link said. "So then if you're not a girl or a guy, what should I call you?"

Sheik considered this. No one outside of the Sheikah tribe had ever asked, and in Sheikah, there was a word that meant what Sheik was, but in Hylian, Sheik did not know. "I suppose… The closest word would be "they,"" Sheik said, frowning at the awkwardness of the language.

"Okay," Link said, "I can do that!" He smiled his sunshine smile, and Sheik found themselves smiling along with him.

"Thank you," Sheik said. And they meant it.


	9. Chapter 9

The second part of their journey was much more pleasant than the first. Sheik seemed to be in a better mood than Link had ever seen them, and it made him cheerful as well. They talked as they rode, discussing all manner of irrelevant things, some very relevant things, and trading mostly good-natured insults. When at last Duke Frennen's castle rose out of the sea of trees before them, the two had quite forgotten their troubles. The sight of the castle's dark grey spires brought reality crashing back down.

"So this is it," Link said. The castle looked more menacing than he remembered.

Sheik nodded.

"Do we just knock on the front door?"

Sheik nodded again. "That seems like the most direct way of accomplishing our mission."

Reluctantly, Link squared his shoulders and urged Epona forwards. Sheik's horse followed as they made their way up the winding road to the castle's wrought iron gates. They passed very few people on the road, even as they were crossing through the castle's small town. The whole place had a foreboding air.

"Well, this seems welcoming," Sheik muttered as they stood outside the castle's massive doors. Guards stood on either side, and they could make out movement of more soldiers on the parapets high above. The soldiers at the gate made no move to greet them. Unlike Hyrule Castle, there was no traffic in or out of Duke Frennen's residence, and it only strengthened Sheik's sense of unease.

"Good afternoon!" Link called. He waved nonchalantly.

Sheik could see the guards looking at them, but no response was forthcoming.

Link was undeterred. He urged Epona a little closer. "I am Link Hyrule, Crown Prince of Hyrule Kingdom, and I seek an audience with my Lord Cousin."

Now they had the guards' attention. Their armour clinked as they stood a little straighter, the one on the left saluted. "Your highness," he said deferentially, though his respect did not sound sincere. "Duke Frennen is not in a state to accept visitors at this time. Could I perhaps carry your message to him on your behalf?"

Sheik knew with absolute certainty that whatever message they might give, it would never reach the Duke. Furthermore, there was a good chance that Link may never reach the gates of this town alive. Sheik was about to intervene when Link spoke up.

"No, I must speak to the Duke in person," He said. His tone held an edge to it that Sheik hadn't heard since their encounter back when Sheik was first captured in Hyrule Castle. "I am sure he will want to speak with me in person regarding this topic."

The guard glared at Link for a long moment, but Link met his gaze and did not back down. In fact, the prince sat a little straighter, and looked more regal than Sheik had thought he was capable of.

"Very well, your highness," the soldier said. He bowed slightly, far too shallow to be polite, then turned his back to the prince and shouted up to the soldiers manning the gate.

Link and Sheik were led inside and asked to dismount in the inner courtyard. Reluctantly, Sheik relinquished the reigns of their horse to a stable boy who gave them a scornful look.

"You'd better treat her well," Sheik said, catching the stablehand's eyes.

He looked away, and Sheik felt rather smug. "Yes, sir," the stablehand said.

From there, the pair were led into the castle proper and through a confusing array of corridors in what Sheik had no doubt was a roundabout fashion. Around every corner and in every cranny, Sheik noticed people watching.

"Be on your guard," Sheik whispered to Link.

The prince nodded nearly imperceptibly, his head held high, his face a regal mask of indifference.

Somewhere in the less useful part Sheik's brain, a running commentary on how royal Link looked was taking place. The thought that maybe the prince wasn't just a pathetic, useless noble was entertained, along with the realization that Link was actually a very attractive person. Sheik stopped the mental commentary there, scowling.

At last the entourage arrived at a set or ornate doors- the doors to the throne room.

"Took long enough," Sheik muttered.

Link cast a sideways glance at them, but otherwise didn't respond.

"Your weapons," the guard captain demanded.

Link raised an eyebrow at the man, making no motion to remove his weapon.

The captain cleared his throat and dropped his eyes to the ground. "Please remove your weapons, your highness," he corrected himself.

Apparently satisfied, Link lifted his sword over his head and leaned it delicately against the stone wall.

Following his lead, Sheik relinquished most of their weapons, piling them on the floor next to Link's sword.

"The Sheikah needs to be searched," the captain said, eyeing the large pile of small blades.

Link looked like he might object, but before he could say anything, Sheik quipped "What? Don't trust us?"

The captain scowled. "I know better than to trust your kind."

Link tensed, but Sheik smiled easily, though the expression was hidden beneath their cowl. "Then by all means," Sheik said silkily, "search me." They spread their arms and met the soldier's gaze.

At a motion from their captain, two more guards stepped forwards and patted Sheik down from head to foot.

Link watched with an increasingly stormy expression until they stepped back, apparently satisfied.

At another sign from their captain, the soldiers stationed at the door knocked loudly, and swung the heavy doors open. Link was announced in proper fashion with his full title, and Sheik was ignored. That suited the Sheikah fine. The less people who knew who they were or what they could do, the better.

Slowly, the entourage strode down the long carpet that led the way to the throne at the far end of the room. Their footsteps echoed off the vaulted ceilings above, emphasizing the silence in the throne room.

Sheik cast a furtive glance around. The room was empty save for themselves and the duke seated upon his ornate chair ahead of them. Unease made their stomach turn and their pulse quicken. Sheik's fingertips habitually felt for their hidden daggers, the unease growing as they passed over empty hiding spots.

"Cousin Link!" Duke Frennen called once they were close. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?"

Sheik scowled at the noble. His hair was greased back against his skull, his robes were garish, made only to flaunt his wealth. His small, blue eyes set into his thin face reminded Sheik of a nervous goat.

To his credit, Link kept his face expressionless. "I think you know why, cousin," he said.

Frennen feigned a thoughtful look. "I'm afraid I don't."

"The assassination attempt," Link prompted, wasting no time in getting to his point.

"Oh yes! I did hear about that. I was so relieved to hear that the Sheikah was captured before any harm could be done. Although… Now I see you trailing one behind you like a pet…" The duke leaned forward in his throne to squint at Sheik.

Link bristled. "Sheik is-"

Sheik smoothly cut him off. "Hardly of importance at this time." They stepped forwards to stand shoulder to shoulder with Link. "We're here on official business regarding your… Association with the recent attempt on His Majesty the King's life."

The duke sat back, his entire expression changing. His eyes flicked up to a tapestry on the wall behind Link and Sheik. "That… Was truly dreadful," he said.

"Why did you try to kill my father?" Link demanded.

"I did no such thing," the duke said, shifting in his seat.

"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you are innocent," Link challenged, drawing the correspondence between the duke and his assassins from his pocket.

The duke stared at the letter, mouth open slightly. He knew he had lost. "Guards!" he shouted, fleeing to the back of his chair, "Guards!"

Sheik moved as fast as a snake, snatching the duke by his ornamented collar. "Not so fast, traitor."

"Sheik!"

The duke yelped as the space behind them exploded, throwing Sheik and the duke into the wall behind the throne.

As Sheik blinked the spots out of their eyes, a cold laugh shook them to their bones.

"How quaint," boomed a voice. "To think you could do anything to stop the prophecy from coming true. Little Sheikah… Your kind never learn, do they?"

Sheik struggled to their feet as spots danced before their eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

"Don't you remember me? I am the King of the Gerudo."

"The Gerudo… Have no king," Sheik hissed. But a flicker of doubt had formed. The prophecy. The King of the Gerudo. The Hero. "Link?" Sheik asked, trying desperately to clear their vision.

"He's right here," the Gerudo King said.

Sheik heard a muffled grunt.

"He is unharmed, for now." The grin was tangible in the King's voice. "Release the duke and I shall spare his life. Nothing that happened here need ever leave these walls."

Sheik didn't give the offer a second thought. Whatever happened, one of them would not be leaving this place alive. They shrugged. "Kill him if you want. Save me the trouble." At last Sheik's vision cleared, and they could take in the scene before them. The duke was unconscious, his collar still locked in Sheik's fist. A man taller than any Sheik had ever seen stood in the center of the room holding Link by his throat while the prince struggled to continue breathing. Sheik felt their heart twist painfully, as though they had been stabbed.

"Oh?" the Gerudo King mused. He looked at Link, flailing in his gauntleted hand. "Well, perhaps you will change your mind when you hear what our prince has to say." He opened his fist and dropped Link to the floor. While the prince was regaining his breath, the Gerudo kicked him hard in the ribs, knocking the air back out of his lungs.

Sheik kept absolutely still, eyes fixed on the Gerudo King. "This will avail you nothing," they said. "I came to Hyrule to kill this boy myself." The words carried certainty that Sheik no longer felt.

The expression on the King's face darkened. "Did you? Perhaps my sources were… Mistaken then."

Before Sheik had time to wonder what they were mistaken about, the Gerudo King raised his hand, purple tendrils extended from his palm and surrounded Link.

The prince screamed as the magic encircled him, lifting him from the ground as he writhed in pain.

Sheik felt the wave of energy wash out over the room. The feeling of the dark magic made their skin crawl and their stomach twist.

Link continued to scream as the life was drained from his body.

If the prince would just die, they could be free.

Sheik watched with growing horror as the colour drained from Link's already pale skin and the screams became ragged gasps.

If he would just die, Sheik could go home and forget everything.

The Gerudo King smiled wickedly and slowly closed his fist.

If Link died…

Sheik grit their teeth. If Link died, they would never be free of the guilt, of the regret; if Link died, they would never be able to go home and face Impa and their people. If Link died, Sheik would die here with him.

"Stop!" Sheik shouted. In a moment of unrivaled bravery -or stupidity- the Sheikah flung themselves at the Gerudo King and slid their last concealed dagger between his ribs.

The Gerudo King roared in pain and rage, throwing his head back and releasing a shockwave of dark magic.

Sheik caught Link mid-air, absorbing the majority of their impact with the heavy throne as they were sent flying. Sheik felt their ribs crack, but knew that Link was safe. Would be safe as long as Sheik was there to protect him. Head spinning, Sheik dragged themselves to their feet, pulling the groaning Link up with them. They made it only one step before stumbling back to the ground.

As Sheik fought their way back to their feet, the familiar caress of magic touched Sheik's skin, soft and warm as a summer breeze. They felt the magic envelop them, gently pulling at them, asking permission to carry them away from this place.

Gratefully, Sheik gave in to the pull, and the magic of Farore whisked them away.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

The air was heavy and humid with the scalding heat of the hot springs, but the temperature didn't bother Link. He sunk deeper into the water, letting it soothe his sore muscles and revitalize his damaged body. He closed his eyes. Memories immediately flooded his senses.

In his mind's eye he saw the moment the bomb had gone off, his heart racing as he wondered whether Sheik was still in one piece. He felt the searing pain of the Gerudo King's magic as it lifted him from the ground. He smelled the earthy scent of the forest and the unique spicy scent of Sheik as he was whisked away from the castle. He heard Zelda's voice, desperately calling out his name. He opened his eyes. Zelda had saved their lives. If she hadn't heard the rumors and followed them to Frennen's castle, he and Sheik would not have made it back alive. He gave silent thanks to the Goddesses for his sister.

Shifting to a more comfortable position on the rocks, Link sunk back into his thoughts. They now centered around his sister and the red eyed assassin who had quickly become an important companion. Link thought on that word. Companion. He dropped his chin to his chest and blew bubbles in the water. Sheik had also saved his life. Multiple times now.

When he had first woken up safe in Kakariko, he had asked Sheik why they hadn't just let him die. "I owe you a debt," the Sheikah had said. "You saved my life. I was returning the favor." But surely the debt was now repaid. Did that mean Sheik would leave? Or go back to trying to find a way to kill Link? The idea of Sheik disappearing from his life made Link's heart clench uncomfortably.

He got out of the water. The heat was definitely starting to mess with his head.

He found Sheik and Zelda in the Kakariko Inn, pouring over ancient books and scrolls.

"Link!" Zelda greeted, getting to her feet, "Feeling any better?"

He smiled and took a seat across from her. "Much better," he said. "What are you doing?" He picked up a nearby book and read it's faded title: _Myths and Legends of Hyrule. _"Story books? Why are you reading old children's books?"

Zelda laughed. "They're for research," she said, plucking the book from Link's grasp. "On how to break your soul bond."

Link looked over at Sheik. "So… You've decided not to kill me?" He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face.

Sheik scowled beneath their cowl, Link could tell from the way their eyebrows drew together. They flicked their wrist, sending a butter knife hurtling towards the prince.

It bounced harmlessly off his forehead. Link flinched.

Sheik sighed. "I can't put a knife through you, so I've settled for the next best thing."

"After all we've been through?" Link asked, feigning offense.

Sheik just huffed and returned to their book. They didn't see the smile Link shared with his sister, or the wink Zelda sent her brother.

"I'm glad you're staying," Link said.

"The gears of fate are ever in motion," Sheik replied, "and I endeavor to stop them."

"What they mean," Zelda interpreted, "is that there are still things they have to do before they can go home."

That was fine with Link. The gears could turn forever as far as he was concerned. His father would live, Hyrule was saved, and Link had a grand adventure planned for him and his companions.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

But the gears of fate do not turn without consequence. The Hero and the Sheikah had bought time, but the Gerudo King still lived, plotting his revenge, stewing in his memories and hate.

The gears of fate are ever in motion, the pieces of old prophecies wait to fall into place and their legends begin anew.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

**A/N **

**Thank you all for reading to the end! I hope you had as much fun with this as I did. Please leave any feedback that you have, it's really very encouraging. Have a FANTASTIC day! **

**~ Tier**


End file.
